MINNEAPOLIS – The time of death for the Nuggets’ season came at 11:22 Central Standard Time.

After a regular season that started with championship potential and ended with unprecedented promise, the postseason run lasted all of six games. Minnesota, without Anthony Edwards, Donte DiVincenzo, Ayo Dosunmu and Kyle Anderson, eliminated the Nuggets in the first round with a 110-98 win Thursday night at Target Center.

“We just lost in the first round, so I think we are far away,” Nuggets center Nikola Jokic said of his team’s proximity to championship contention.

Jaden McDaniels, of course, was the one who pulled the plug with a pair of free throws with 26 seconds left that capped a 32-point, 10-rebound performance. His pull-up jumper that put Minnesota up seven with a little more than a minute left served as the fatal blow.

“Complete disappointment,” Nuggets coach David Adelman said after his first full season in charge ended.

“We went into this series with belief we could win. I felt really good about the buildup to Game 1.”

Jokic did his best to keep his team alive, playing all but a few seconds of the second half and finishing with 28 points on 19 shots to go with 10 assists and nine rebounds.

“I must play better,” Jokic said, critiquing his play over the six-game series.

“I needed to play much better the first three games.”

Cam Johnson stepped up with 27 points, while Tim Hardaway Jr. added 13 off the bench. Jamal Murray was the only other Denver player in double figures, but he needed 17 shots to score his 12 points, as he continued struggling to shake McDaniels’ stifling defense.

“I didn’t have the game I wanted to have. Rough outing,” Murray said.

“This series is going to make us better.”

Heading into the season, the Nuggets believed they were better suited to chase the franchise’s second championship after acquiring Johnson from the Nets, trading with Sacramento for Jonas Valanciunas and signing Hardaway and Bruce Brown to bargain contracts.

Denver won 10 of its first 12 games and closed the regular season on the longest winning streak of the Jokic and Murray era, a 12-game stint that started March 20. The 58 games in the middle of the regular season were marred by injuries. Aaron Gordon and Peyton Watson each suffered a pair of hamstring strains, and neither was available for the final game of Denver’s season. Jokic missed the longest stretch of his professional career, while Christian Braun and Johnson also missed significant chunks of the regular season, leaving Adelman to call the season “incomplete.”

Adelman still managed to lead the Nuggets to the three seed in the Western Conference with a 54-28 record. After Minnesota advanced, teams with a 3-1 series lead have advanced 286 out of 299 times.

It marks the first time since 2022 the Nuggets failed to make it out of the first round.

“For it to end like this is extremely disappointing,” Adelman said.

“That group in there deserved better.”

Timberwolves 110, Nuggets 98

What happened: Minnesota trailed by one after the first quarter and led 57-50 at halftime. Denver fell behind by eight to start the fourth quarter.

What went right: Denver finally had a positive shooting night. The Nuggets went 10 of 27 from 3 to Minnesota’s 7-for-29 mark. Cam Johnson scored 27 points in the loss.

What went wrong: The Nuggets committed nine turnovers in the first half and got outscored 20-4 on second-chance points.

Highlight of the night: Terrence Shannon Jr.’s driving dunk in the final minutes of the first half was, objectively, the most impressive play of the night.

Up next: Denver heads into the offseason, while Minnesota advances to face San Antonio in the second round.