The Minnesota Timberwolves absolutely mauled the Denver Nuggets 115-70 on Thursday night, forcing a thrilling Game 7 back in Denver on Sunday. This wasn’t your typical close game that goes down to the wire. This was a beatdown from the opening tip, with Minnesota flexing its muscles early and often.

Remember that embarrassing 35-point first half the Nuggets put up in Game 2? Well, they somehow managed to do worse, scoring a measly 40 points in the first two quarters this time around. Jamal Murray, who bounced back after a rough Game 2 to lead Denver’s comeback, went ice cold, starting 1 for 11 from the field. He’ll need to find his shooting stroke in a hurry if the Nuggets want to avoid an upset loss at home.

Both teams struggled from three-point land early on, but Minnesota made theirs count when it mattered. They pounded the ball inside where they dominated the Nuggets in the paint and on the boards. Karl-Anthony Towns, Rudy Gobert, and Naz Reid all had a field day feasting on the inside, combining for 28 points and 27 rebounds by halftime.

Denver’s bench, which was a key factor in their recent surge, completely disappeared in this critical game. The Timberwolves’ reserves, on the other hand, came to play, outscoring Denver’s bench by a whopping 17 points. This is a bad sign for the Nuggets, especially considering role players tend to perform better at home.

The game was effectively over by halftime, with Minnesota leading by a staggering 19 points. Coach Michael Malone wisely opted to rest his starters in the garbage time fourth quarter, giving his bench some much-needed run.

So what went wrong for Denver? A disastrous first quarter that saw them cough up four turnovers that fueled a devastating 27-2 run by Minnesota. Timberwolves’ young star Anthony Edwards was a one-man wrecking crew in that stretch, scoring 11 points himself and turning the tide of the game.

The bright spot for Denver? Not much. Aside from Nikola Jokic’s opening dunk and a late Christian Braun slam, the highlight reel belonged entirely to Minnesota. Edwards’ head-fake and thunderous dunk on Michael Porter Jr. in the third quarter perfectly encapsulated the Timberwolves’ dominance.

With the series tied 3-3, basketball fans are in for a treat. Game 7 goes down in Denver on Sunday, and the stakes couldn’t be higher. Can the Nuggets bounce back and defend their home court, or will the young Wolves pull off a stunning upset?