The season has been saved.

The Nuggets avoided elimination and their first opening-round exit in four years with a 125-113 win over the Timberwolves in Game 5 Monday at Ball Arena.

Game 6 is Thursday (time/TV TBA) in Minnesota.

Here are three takeaways:

1. Jaden McDaniels’ first game as enemy No. 1 in the Mile High City didn’t go as he planned. The Timberwolves forward, who called out every member of the Nuggets for being a bad defender following Minnesota’s Game 2 win, was booed every time he touched the ball. In an elevated offensive role with leading scorer Anthony Edwards ruled out for the remainder of the series, McDaniels struggled to handle more responsibilities, finishing with 13 points on 5-for-11 shooting to go with four turnovers and a minus 22. The Nuggets players let McDaniels have it, too, with Christian Braun earning a technical foul for pointing at McDaniels after dunking on him. Jonas Valanciunas also got in McDaniels’ face after a tie-up early in the fourth. 
2. The Spencer Jones game will be remembered for a long time, if the Nuggets are able to complete the comeback in this series. Starting in place of an injured Aaron Gordon, Jones looked nothing like a player who was on a two-way contract for much of the regular season. He finished with 20 points thanks to 4-for-5 shooting from 3-point range, a much-needed boost for an offense that struggled through the first four games.
3. Cam Johnson’s steady presence on both ends of the court was exactly what the Nuggets needed. His role also elevates when Gordon isn’t on the floor and Johnson played a big role in limiting McDaniels offensively, while also scoring an efficient 18 points with a couple of big 3s and a massive transition dunk that ignited the crowd in the third quarter. Johnson finding a rhythm would do wonders for Denver’s chances of completing the 3-1 series comeback.