The Minnesota Timberwolves play host to the Denver Nuggets in Game 3 of the Western Conference Semi-Finals at Target Center on Friday.

Minnesota leads this series, 2-0. Teams that go up 2-0 win about 93 percent of the series in NBA history, and almost all of those have been the home team.

The Timberwolves (2-0) played Game 2 without Rudy Gobert, but they played one of their best defensive games of the season. They led by nearly 30 points at the half and dominated that road game from start to finish, holding Denver below 35 percent shooting. What was really telling was the way they killed Denver's will, playing some of the best defense we've ever seen. Doing that without the Defensive Player of the Year is telling of how well this team plays together but it's no surprise that they had the best defensive rating during the regular season. It's also good news that the big man is expected to return here, and they're now just two wins away from reaching the Western Conference Finals.

The Nuggets (0-2) looked to be outmatched in Game 2, and it's difficult to see where they go from here. It's rare to see an NBA team look so overwhelmed by another team's physicality, but that was the case for Denver. They were complaining with the officials all night in that Game 2 blowout defeat and were lucky not to pick up multiple technicals. In any case, this series is far from over because the Nuggets have won four of five games many times over the last two years. Counting out the defending champs with the MVP running the show would be silly, but this will be an uphill battle for a team that's playing some of their worst basketball of the season. They scored a season-low 80 points in that Game 2 defeat, and they need Jamal Murray to play better because a 3-of-18 night won't cut it.