Will Barton’s bounce is back, and it’s helping the Nuggets bounce back from a slow start to the season.

After Tuesday’s 123-116 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves at Denver’s Ball Arena, the Nuggets are 3-4 after winning just one of their first five games.

Barton had his best game of the three he’s started this season after returning from a knee injury that ended his season in last year’s bubble. The veteran wing finished with 20 points, on 7-of-14 shooting, with seven rebounds, three assists and two steals and said he’s focusing on doing a little bit of everything on this deep and talented Nuggets squad.

“That really makes my game work, and I know it makes us a better team,” Barton said. “I try to make plays, score, rebound, defend. Like I said, just be versatile, go do everything and just try to make winning plays.”

After Denver led 34-22 after the first quarter, the Nuggets managed few winning plays in the second quarter that saw Minnesota score 43 points and take a 65-62 lead to halftime.

“The second quarter was a disaster and the third quarter was meh, whatever you want to call it,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said.

The Timberwolves took a three-point lead to the fourth quarter and extended it to seven in the first minute of the fourth quarter before the Nuggets answered with a 15-0 run that put them in front for good.

Nikola Jokic led the Nuggets with 35 points, 15 rebounds and six assists. Barton said he tells him to go out and win the league’s Most Valuable Player award before each game.

“He’s one of those players now in the league where he can’t be stopped with his shooting touch, his post moves, ability to put the ball on the floor then pass. I mean, there’s nothing you really can do to stop him, and when he’s aggressive, it’s over with,” Barton said. “Right now, he’s just putting it together. It’s great to watch. We need him to be this guy if we want to go where we want to go.”

On a couple of occasions Tuesday, it was Barton who looked unstoppable. In the third quarter, Barton took a swing pass from JaMychal Green, who finished with 17 points off the bench, dribbled past former teammate Juancho Hernangomez and elevated over Jarred Vanderbilt, another ex-Nugget, for a powerful dunk. Barton put down another slam as part of the decisive fourth-quarter run.

“He’s getting closer to being the Will Barton that we know he’s capable of being. That was fun to see,” Malone said. “For him to finally get a chance to throw a dunk down with authority, you know he’s starting to get his legs back, getting his pop back. And when that happens, that makes us even more dangerous.”

D’Angelo Russell led Minnesota with 33 points, while Hernangomez added 25. Malik Beasley, who Barton guarded for stretches, added 15 points but finished 0 for 6 from 3-point range. Beasley is another player Barton knows well after he was one of the players traded from Denver to Minnesota last season.

“Malik’s a great shooter, so I didn’t want to give him any airspace,” Barton said.

With Dallas, another 3-4 team with an MVP candidate in Luka Doncic, coming to town Thursday, the Nuggets could use another strong game from Barton, especially considering the team has recently been without Michael Porter Jr. due to health and safety protocols.

“I feel good. It’s a process,” Barton said. “Game by game it’s getting better, feeling better, getting better timing, getting better rhythm, getting my legs back under me. I knew it would be this way, so it’s nothing (surprising).”