The Minnesota Timberwolves made their triumphant return to the Target Center for their first home game of the playoffs and they certainly put on a show for the Timberwolves faithful.

After coming from behind the beat the Denver Nuggets in game two and even the series 1-1 heading into Minnesota, the Timberwolves were riding a serious momentum high and it showed on the court Thursday.

They dominated the Nuggets throughout the game, jumping out to a 14 point lead in the first quarter and never looking back until the buzzer rang and they took game three by a 113-96 blowout. 

"We came out and just set the tone, which is what we wanted to do here at home," Minnesota head coach Chris Finch said (via Timberwolves). 

Energy is such a crucial thing in a NBA game and there's so many different things that a team can do to generate energy for themselves or take it away from their opponents. Playing at home for any team is a big factor that way, which is part of why the Timberwolves had such an advantage on Thursday.

Another big factor is effort and mentality, especially on the defensive end. The Timberwolves put on a defensive clinic in the game, holding one of the best offenses in the NBA during the regular season to just 11 points in the first quarter.

That effort so early in the game gave the Timberwolves a jumping off point to run away with the rest of regulation and the confidence that everyone on the roster felt was palpable on the court.

Nikola Jokic may have ended as the game's leading scorer with 27 points for the Nuggets, but even that is evidence of a subdued game from Jokic, with Rudy Gobert leading the way in the defense of Jokic and forcing him into uncomfortable situations over and over again. 

Beyond that, the rest of the Denver roster was shut down. Jamal Murray was the only other member of the starting five to score in the double digits with 16 points and Denver's next best scorer after that was Tim Hardaway Jr. with 11 points off the bench.

On the Minnesota side of things, Ayo Dosunmu exploded with 25 points off the bench while the entire Minnesota starting five scored 10 points or more.

Jaden McDaniels made a huge impact with 20 points, 10 rebounds and three assists while proving lock down defense on the other end. He had a a lot to prove after calling out multiple Nuggets by name after game two and he more than delivered.

The Timberwolves are ahead 2-1 and after such a statement win, they've more than swung the momentum of the series in their favor.