The first rematch between the Nuggets and Timberwolves after last season’s seven-game series in the second round lived up to the hype.

Here are three takeaways from Denver’s dramatic 119-116 loss Friday in Minnesota.

1. Friday’s game feels like another prominent chapter in one of the NBA’s budding rivalries. The dislike was most obvious after Christian Braun put Rudy Gobert on a poster in the fourth quarter. Braun flexed on Gobert and put his shoulder into Gobert’s chest during his celebration. Gobert responded by briefly put his arm around Braun’s shoulder or neck and shoved him away. Both players were assessed technical fouls. Gobert ended up with the last laugh. He successfully contested Braun’s driving layup, grabbed the defensive rebound and hit a couple of free throws to put Minnesota up 3 with 10 seconds left. Then, he forced a Nikola Jokic air ball at the buzzer. Postgame, Anthony Edwards, who led the Timberwolves with 29 points, confirmed the two teams aren’t very fond of the other.

2. A tough start for Jamal Murray ended in rough fashion. In the third quarter, Murray hit his head while trying to fight through a Julius Randle screen. He put his hand to his face multiple times on the ensuing possessions before he went back to the locker room during the next timeout. It didn’t take long for the Nuggets to announce Murray entered concussion protocol and would miss the rest of the game. He finished with six points on 2 of 7 shooting with three assists, two rebounds and a steal in 22 minutes of playing time. Without Murray, Nuggets coach Michael Malone split the ball-handling duties between Julian Strawther and Christian Braun in one stretch and led Russell Westbrook run the point with the starters. The NBA’s concussion protocol does not have a minimum time to complete the process, so Murray could play in Saturday’s game. In the likely event Murray is not available to play against the Jazz, Malone would have limited options beyond Russell Westbrook.

3. The lack of productivity from Denver’s bench is putting too much strain on Denver’s starting front court too early in the season. Dario Saric was, once again, not trusted to play second-half minutes, playing just 4:43. Hunter Tyson, who hadn’t scored prior to Friday’s game, ended up playing more than Saric. That meant Aaron Gordon once again served as Denver’s back-up center. Jokic put up 26 points, 13 assists and nine rebounds but was 18 seconds shy of playing 40 minutes on the first night of a back-to-back. Aaron Gordon had a career shooting night, scoring 31 points on the back of a 5-for-7 mark from 3-point range, but played more than 38 minutes. Michael Porter Jr. added 26 points, six rebounds, four assists and two steals, but played nearly 39 minutes. It’s not a coincidence those players weren’t as effective in the final minutes. If the Nuggets continue to need that level of workload from their starters, fatigue could very well be a factor for the Nuggets not just on Saturday, but also when it matters most.

TIMBERWOLVES 119, NUGGETS 116

What happened: Minnesota finished a back-and-forth first quarter with a four-point advantage and started the second quarter on a 10-0 run. After trailing by as many as 16, Denver’s starters closed the gap to 64-61 at halftime. The Timberwolves led by six to start the fourth, but Denver used a 25-3 fourth-quarter run to lead by 10 in the final four minutes. The Timberwolves answered with a 15-2 closing.

What went right: Denver did well in transition, outscoring Minnesota 22-10 in fast-break points. The Nuggets also finished with 30 assists on 41 made field goals.

What went wrong: After Denver went up by 10 with 3:36 to play, Jokic committed two of his three turnovers and both of the shots he attempted. Russell Westbrook also committed a costly turnover in the final 90 seconds that fueled Minnesota’s comeback.

Highlight of the night: Christian Braun had a dunk that will be considered for dunk of the year at season’s end. During Denver’s fourth-quarter run, Braun caught a pass on the right wing, dribbled twice and elevated for a two-handed slam over the top of Rudy Gobert, Minnesota’s four-time defensive player of the year. It was a night full of highlights for Braun. In the first half, Gordon threaded a no-look bounce pass to Braun in transition. Braun dunked over Naz Reid, drew the foul and hit the free throw. Some 30 seconds later, Braun returned the favor with a no-look bounce pass to Gordon, who made a reverse layup.

Up next: The Nuggets fly back to Denver for Saturday’s game against the Jazz, Denver’s second back-to-back set of the week.