Short-handed Timberwolves finish off Nuggets, will face Spurs in Western Conference semifinals

Overcoming the Spurs will be a taller task, especially if Edwards can’t return during the series. No one in the building cared about that on Thursday, though, as Minnesota was at least able to make a memorable statement in its rivalry with Denver.

The Timberwolves built their backcourt on the fly

Both teams entered the game notably short-handed, the Timberwolves more so. They were already down Edwards and starting guard Donte DiVincenzo for the rest of the series and beyond, but then had to rule out Ayo Dosunmu — who had been filling the gap left by those injuries — with a calf injury. Kyle Anderson also sat out the game with an illness.

The Nuggets were missing Aaron Gordon and Peyton Watson, but Minnesota had far more to figure out Thursday. It’s backcourt was a full “next man up.”

Shannon had previously played 21 minutes all series, and got 34 minutes in Game 6, which was also his first career playoff start. Jaylen Clark didn’t appear in the series until his 11 minutes in Game 5, then got 12 in Game 6. Mike Conley Jr. got 26 minutes, his most since March 25.

Nikola Jokić gets in another scuffle

Game 6 was tense but not testy … until the fourth quarter. That was when Jokić got in another scuffle.

The former MVP was fined over a last-shoving match in Game 4, and once again found himself in a confrontation with about 10 minutes left in the game. The incident began when Jokić set a screen on Clark, who got his arms tangled up with the big man then shoved him in the back after the whistle.

Jokić objected to the official, then made to shove Clark back. Clark responded by grabbing Jokić’s jersey as he went down, then immediately getting up to further push Jokić. Timberwolves big man Naz Reid also got an elbow into Jokić’s back as the official tried to break it up.

After a quick deliberation, Jokić, Clark and Reid were all hit with technical fouls, giving the Nuggets a free throw, which Tim Hardaway Jr. made.

Chris Finch: ‘They chose us’

Rewind back to the end of the regular season and the Nuggets had two paths forward.

A win over a Spurs team without Victor Wembanyama would have locked them into the No. 3 seed, giving them the Timberwolves in the first round. A loss would push them down to No. 4 and set them up with the Houston Rockets instead.

Denver opted to sit all of its starters except for Jokić, and ended up winning. The Timberwolves took that personally, according to head coach Chris Finch.

It’s not often you see a team get offended that another team tried to win a game, apparently with the little-used strategy of resting all starters except the one who needed to play to be awards-eligible, but the Timberwolves are clearly adept at finding motivation.

Nikola Jokić says he wants ‘to be a Nugget forever’

The loss begins an uncomfortable offseason for the Nuggets, who haven’t reached the Western Conference finals since their NBA title in 2023.

Among the questions is Jokić, who is under contract for 2026-27 then holds a player option for 2027-28. Asked after the game if he would sign an extension with the team, he said only he wants to be “a Nugget forever.”

That didn’t exactly answer the question, but Denver still has some work to do with the supporting cast. Hardaway and Bruce Brown are unrestricted free agents, while Peyton Watson is a restricted free agent.

It can’t be ignored that Jokić also said he believes the team is “far away” from being a championship contender after a first-round exit.