The last image Ball Arena had from a playoff game against the Timberwolves was an epic collapse at the Nuggets’ expense two years ago.

As Minnesota clawed its way back from a 15-point deficit to within two points midway through the fourth quarter of Saturday’s Game 1 in the latest postseason meeting between these division rivals, a feeling of “here we go again” could’ve easily crept in the mind of anyone in the building.

But, in an instant, the Timberwolves no longer looked like the team that was unfazed by the moment and eager to take down one of the best teams in the NBA.

As Denver restored its lead to nine just over two minutes later, Minnesota was left to rue a big missed opportunity in the series opener.

“It’s a lot of composure issues,” Wolves coach Chris Finch said. “We’ve gotta make smarter, more solid plays. We had two turnovers right in the middle of one run back (into the game). We gotta be more composed. Plays like that really hurt you in the playoffs, especially against an experienced team.

“A lot of self-inflicted wounds.”

Now, the Wolves will be desperate to take Monday night’s Game 2 (8:30 p.m. NBC).

From the start of the series opener, it looked like Minnesota was ready to replicate what it did two years ago by smacking Denver in the mouth on its home floor. The Wolves outscored the Nuggets 33-23 in the opening quarter thanks to a balanced offensive effort that benefited from quick, sharp passes and smart cuts when the Denver defense was caught in rotation.

That offensive execution went away in the final three quarters with Minnesota failing to crack the 30-point mark the rest of Game 1.

“Everyone was trying to get themselves going a little bit there,” Finch said. “Played a lot of shell offense, a lot of guys stuck on the perimeter, not punching any gaps, no movement. It kinda led to a lot of easy baskets for them, being able to run out of our poor offense.”

There is no panic inside the Wolves’ locker room, though. Even though they’re used to being the team that has jumped out to a 1-0 series lead, especially early in the playoffs, they have come to embrace the ups and downs that inevitably come in a long series, especially during their runs to the conference finals the last two years.

“We expect a long series,” Finch said. “Road team losing Game 1 on the road is nothing to really worry about, as long as you come out with the right mindset and approach and are sharp. Everything flips when you win Game 2 and on goes the series. I would expect our guys to be confident.”

That confidence often comes from the team’s star, Anthony Edwards, who seems to have a knack for bringing his best game with him to the Mile High City. The 24-year-old didn’t have his best in Game 1, though. He’s still working his way back into game shape after a knee injury hampered him the last month of the season, causing him not to play more than 30 minutes in a game since March 15.

Edwards, unsurprisingly, was out there for over 38 minutes on Saturday and admitted afterward fatigue was starting to set in as he needed 19 shots to score a team-high 22 points, while also chasing Jamal Murray around the perimeter defensively.

“I felt good. A little fatigued,” Edwards said. “I haven’t played in like a month, but that was expected.”

The Wolves know they will need more from Edwards and everyone else in the rotation except for Rudy Gobert, who Finch said was the team’s best player in Game 1, if they want to even the series up at one game apiece on Monday night before it shifts to the Twin Cities.

Maybe that means leaning more on two-way wing Jaden McDaniels, who had 10 points in the first quarter Saturday. Maybe that means more open 3-pointers for Donte DiVincenzo and Naz Reid. Maybe it’s more opportunities for Julius Randle to create scoring chances for himself and others.

Minnesota will do whatever it can to punch back.

“They did their job. They won the first game on their floor,” Edwards said. “We would’ve loved to win the first game and ruffle some feathers, but they came out and competed at a high level. We should be ready next game to come out here and do what we gotta do to win.”