MINNEAPOLIS — Nikola Jokic trudged through the Target Center late Sunday night with scratched, bright-red arms that look like he got branded at the Dutton Ranch on “Yellowstone.”

Joker’s brand of basketball is a contact sport.

The beating he’s endured and the sheer length of the NBA postseason are good reasons the Nuggets sought a first-round sweep of the Timberwolves. Days off these days are gold.

“With this group we really wanted to do that. We wanted to have a sweep under our belt,” Jamal Murray said after Minnesota dealt Denver a 114-108 overtime win in Game 4.

The Nuggets still lead the series 3-1 with Game 5 at Ball Arena Tuesday. Are they worried at all? No, they’re not worried. Michael Malone described the defeat as “disappointing,” as a few extra days before the next series sure would be handy. Murray was more chipper than usual after a loss.

“I think they just played better (with) their home crowd fighting to keep the series alive,” he said.

What the game showed is how badly the Nuggets will need everybody in order to fashion a long postseason run. Joker was spectacular. He had 43 points, 11 rebounds and six assists. His arms look like Joker wrestled an actual timber wolf. All that, and it wasn’t enough. Not enough from Murray, who made only eight of 21 shots for 19 points. Not from Michael Porter Jr., a ghost until a pair of late three-pointers.

And not from the Nuggets bench, which had been a huge bonus through three games. Jeff Green was a plus-30 through three games in the series, Bruce Brown a plus-38, Christian Braun a plus-14.

Denver’s playoff march is going to require everyone. Even Joker can’t go this alone.

“I’ve got to be better. I’ve got to assert myself more,” Murray said.

The Nuggets should not mess around with the Timberwolves. They should end this series as soon as Tuesday, and the reason is Anthony Edwards. If the Timberwolves star is a top-five player within the next few years, no one should be surprised. And you don’t mess around with talents like that. Edwards had 34 points, the third time in four games he’s scored that many.

“We need to do a better job of making someone else beat us,” Jokic said.

But is losing a winnable close-out game cause for concern? Hard to say. Check back if the Nuggets add a couple seven-game series along the way. It’s a very long postseason.

The Suns lead the Clippers 3-1 with Game 5 Tuesday. Denver would play one of them next.

“I was thinking it was going to go (to) Game 6. But who knows? It’s looking pretty bad right now for the Clippers,” Nuggets veteran Kentavious Caldwell-Pope told me.

One of the great comebacks in Nuggets history was not to be. Denver trailed by 12 points with under 3 minutes left in regulation and closed on a 12-0 run to force overtime. 

“One free throw here, one free throw there, and maybe that game doesn’t get to overtime,” Malone said.

The Nuggets have never swept a playoff series. There was a unique urgency to check off that box. Yes, the Timberwolves have developed into a sort of rival, and bragging rights are fun.

But mostly they’re eager to conserve the two-time MVP. Jokic was awarded 12 free throws, a nice change for the Nuggets. He didn’t shoot a single one in Game 3, which bugged Malone.

“We’re not going to go undefeated in the postseason,” Malone said. “We’re not going to go 16-0.”

“My hope is that we’ll be a lot better in Game 5,” he added.

The motivation is to wrap up the series ASAP. Jokic is taking a beating — off the court, even.

Jogging from the locker room to the playing court Saturday, Jokic ducked at the last second to avoid a metal curtain rod meant to keep out us normal folk.

“You see that?” he said.

Yep, that was a close call. Now don’t go making this Timberwolves series a close call.

The Nuggets need to close it out ASAP.