MINNEAPOLIS — Aaron Gordon made the Timberwolves respect him, Jamal Murray made them fear him, and the Nuggets made them realize mowing through the Western Conference isn’t meant to be easy. The Nuggets have made this a series, for now at least. They still must win Sunday at Target Center to avoid facing three consecutive elimination games, but a clinical 117-90 victory Friday over the Timberwolves closed the gap to 2-1 in the second round of the playoffs.