NBA playoffs news: Minnesota Timberwolves’ tactical gamble exposes Denver Nuggets

The Minnesota Timberwolves closed out their first-round Western Conference playoff series with a 110-98 Game 6 win over the Denver Nuggets, leaning on adaptability and physicality to underline a growing gap between the two sides.

Minnesota’s progression stands out not just for the result, but for how it was achieved. 

Missing key perimeter pieces in Anthony Edwards and Donte DiVincenzo, the Wolves pivoted stylistically, and decisively.

For Denver, the loss sharpens concerns that have lingered since their 2023 title run. 

Secondary scoring and late-series execution again faltered, with Jamal Murray managing just 12 points in a subdued outing. 

Cameron Johnson provided resistance with 27 points and eight rebounds, but the overall offensive support wasn’t enough to extend the series.

Finch leans into size and sends a message

Minnesota head coach Chris Finch framed the series as both tactical and personal, pointing to late-season positioning as added fuel.

“Denver had the chance to pick who they wanted to play coming down the stretch, and they chose us,” Finch said after his team’s crunch-game win.

“We used that as motivation all the way through preparation and through the series.

“They chose us. They didn’t have to choose us. They chose us, and our guys were up for the challenge of that,” he added.

Bigger is better for the Wolves

That edge carried into Finch’s in-series adjustment - a shift to a bigger line-up that altered match-ups and tempo.

“I knew I wanted to get to it as much as I possibly could,” Finch said, referring to his tactical change.

“I wanted to get my best players on the floor. Sometimes that’s all it is. And that’s my best five.

“The length bothered them. There were match-ups out there for both Julius and for Naz almost all the time.

“I was kicking myself after Game 5 that I didn’t do it more.”

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Denver left searching for answers

From Denver’s perspective, the series highlighted a roster that no longer imposes itself the way it once did. 

The drop-off around Nikola Jokic has become harder to mask in high-leverage moments.

"We just lost in the first round. So, I think we are far away," Jokic said, when asked about the Nuggets’ title aspirations. 

When asked about potential roster changes in the off-season, he said: "That's not my decision, to be honest.

“Definitely, if we were in Serbia, we would all get fired."

Spurs await Wolves

Minnesota’s tactical flexibility now faces a different kind of challenge. 

Awaiting them in the second round are the second-seeded San Antonio Spurs on May 4 - a deeper, fully available roster that will test whether Finch’s size-first approach can scale.

For now, though, the Wolves move on having dictated terms in a series that exposed Denver’s diminishing position as championship contenders.

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