The Timberwolves are already rolling and expect to have Gobert against the Nuggets

Rudy Gobert is expected to rejoin the Minnesota Timberwolves when they tip off against the Denver Nuggets in Game 3 of their Western Conference semifinal series on Friday night in Minneapolis.

Gobert, who earned his fourth NBA Defensive Player of the Year award this week, missed Game 2 due to the birth of his son. He watched on TV as his teammates more than made up for his absence with suffocating defense in a 106-80 road victory against the Nuggets.

The win gave Minnesota a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series.

“It was incredible,” Gobert said. “Obviously I was watching the game and holding the baby at the same time. But at the same time I had a little emotion because it was something special. The energy, the focus they had, the determination.

“I don’t know, there was something special in the way they came out. They came out to play 48 minutes. It was an incredible day, an incredible way to end the day for me and of course for the entire organization.”

Now Denver must find a way to avoid falling behind 3-0 on the road.

The Nuggets are the defending NBA champions and have the best player on the court: three-time MVP Nikola Jokic – the latest honor coming Wednesday. He has averaged 27.0 points this postseason, along with 15.0 rebounds and 9.4 assists – all team records.

Michael Porter Jr. and Jamal Murray each averaged 20.4 points during the playoffs. But Murray is coming off a Game 2 in which he shot 3-for-18 from the field, 0-for-4 from beyond the arc and finished with four turnovers and just two assists.

Murray threw a heating pad on the court during Game 2. The NBA responded by fining him $100,000, but he avoided a suspension.

Nuggets guard Reggie Jackson said everyone felt frustrated after the second game.

“They screwed us,” he said. “They literally abused us.”

The Timberwolves hope to maintain that mentality when they return to Target Center, where they posted a 30-11 record during the regular season and won both of their first-round playoff games against the Phoenix Suns.

Minnesota is 6-0 in the playoffs, thanks in large part to its 22-year-old superstar, Anthony Edwards, who is averaging 32.3 points in the postseason. Karl-Anthony Towns is averaging 20.7 points and 9.0 rebounds, and Gobert is averaging a double-double with 13.2 points and 11.4 rebounds.

Edwards tried to deflect attention from his goal by highlighting the defensive skills of his teammate, forward Jaden McDaniels. Through two games, McDaniels has scored just five points, but has posted a plus-40 rating because of his defense.

“He doesn’t complain,” Edwards said. ‘He just keeps guarding and takes up the entire field. He is definitely the X-factor of the team.”

Meanwhile, Nuggets coach Mike Malone said he was confident his team could bounce back and rediscover the rhythm that helped it win the championship a year ago. Malone said he would encourage Jokic to take more control of the offense.

“He just needs to look more aggressive,” Malone said. “If they don’t double, he has to try to make more shots.”