They said the defending champions would figure it out. They said Nikola Jokic was too good to be stopped. They said the Denver Nuggets would eventually find their rhythm.

The Minnesota Timberwolves had other ideas.

In a physical, bruising Game 3 at Target Center, Minnesota took a 2-1 series lead with a dominant 113-96 victory that wasn't as close as the final score suggests. The Wolves imposed their will from the opening tip, holding Denver to just 11 points in the first quarter and never looking back.

Here's the number that tells the story: 68 points in the paint. That's not a typo. Minnesota scored 68 of their 113 points in the painted area, turning the game into a street fight and winning every single exchange.

"We knew what we had to do," Wolves coach said after the game. "Get physical, protect the paint, and make them uncomfortable. That's our identity."

Ayo Dosunmu led the way with 25 points on 10-of-15 shooting, adding 9 assists in what can only be described as a complete performance. Jaden McDaniels added 20 points and 10 rebounds, while Rudy Gobert anchored the defense with 10 points, 12 rebounds, and 3 blocks.

But the real story was what Minnesota did to Jokic. The two-time MVP finished with 27 points, but it took him 26 shots to get there. He shot 7-for-26 from the field, including 2-for-10 from three-point range. When you force the best player in the world into that kind of efficiency, you're doing something right.

Jamal Murray didn't fare much better, going 5-for-17 for 16 points. The Nuggets shot just 34.1% from the field as a team and looked completely out of sorts against Minnesota's suffocating defense.

This was championship-caliber basketball from the Wolves - the kind of performance that makes you believe they're not just happy to be here, they're here to take the crown. The physicality, the defensive intensity, the way they controlled the boards and the paint - this is what wins in the playoffs.