The Timberwolves are moving on in the playoffs after a Game 6 victory over Denver, and they did it without three very key players: Anthony Edwards (knee), Donte DiVincenzo (Achilles), and Ayo Dosunmu (calf). Backup forward Kyle Anderson was also out with an illness, leaving the Wolves with eight players in a must-win for Denver.
Somehow, the Wolves with Jaden McDaniels leading the way got it done anyway, and it's a game Timberwolves Coach Chris Finch tells WCCO's Chad Hartman it might be the most satisfying win of his career, considering the circumstances.
"I think it just might be, to be quite honest with you. Not just the adversity of having those guys out, but how well everyone played," Finch said.
Add in this fun fact for Timberwolves fans courtesy of ESPN: The Wolves are the first team in NBA history to win a playoff game while missing 3 or more of their top scorers in a playoff series: Dosunmu, Edwards and DiVincenzo.
The Wolves coach spent years in Europe and in the NBA G League, something he says prepared him to deal with circumstances like the team faced Thursday. In those leagues, suddenly you're winning and an NBA team calls up your best players. Finch said it was key to his preparation.
"I can't overstate my experiences in the G League, and also in Europe," Finch explained. "I was in Europe 15 years before that. That's kind of the Wild West too, there's a lot of craziness that happens there, maybe not so much with the roster but with travel and other things you can't control. These things, I just learned to lean into them."
Finch added it just made him a much better coach.
"Just kind of going through that process gives you the confidence that you can figure things out, try new stuff, not worry so much about the results," Finch explains. "When a lot of times as coaches, we tend to like do things we've always done, like that's comfortable too, for us. That's just kind of a mindset."
The clear star for the Timberwolves in Thursday's win was Jaden McDaniels, who scored 32 points, grabbed 10 rebounds, and was - as usual - a dynamic defender. Finch says his improvement up until this point has been fun to watch, and Thursday was his coming out party.
"The thought I was left with last night was, hello world, meet Jaden," Finch said. "This was definitely his coming out party. We know that he's had this potential inside him and he's been working towards it. And he's been showing us glimpses and this year, was really in many ways a breakout year for him, particularly on the offensive end."
Finch says that everyone wants to believe they get "better every day" but adds it isn't that simple, which is something McDaniels has had to go through.
"We all like to think about that, it kind of motivates us to keep working," says Finch. "Well, it's a non-linear curve when you're talking about development for athletes. You have these 'a-ha' moments. Like you work, you work, you work, you might get a little better, then you plateau. And then all of a sudden you'll have the revelation, or some things will come together for you and you'll figure it out. You then take the next step and you keep building on that."
Victor Wembanyama #1 of the San Antonio Spurs dunks during the second half of Game Four of the Western Conference First Round Playoffs against the Portland Trail Blazers at Moda Center on April 26, 2026 in Portland, Oregon.
(Photo by Soobum Im/Getty Images)
Heading into the San Antonio series, up next, Finch knows there are two things they have to figure out: what happens with Anthony Edwards and his knee injury? And how on Earth do you deal with Victor Wembanyama.
Starting with Edwards, Finch says there isn't much of an update yet.
"There's nothing definitive now. We're still in that week-to-week evaluation phase," says Finch. "We'll probably know more after the weekend when we get back to work here."
Then there is Wembanyama, the young French superstar who has taken the league by storm. He's 7'4" with a wingspan that seems to stretch forever, he is the NBA Defensive Player of the Year, he scores about 25 a game, both inside and even from the three-point line. If Denver's Nikola Jokic is difficult to deal with, what about Wembanyama?
Finch says it's not going to all fall on center Rudy Gobert, adding it'll be a full team assignment.
"I don't know if there is a specific scheme that works against him," Finch said. "He's just - he's so long, so versatile, so skilled. I think it's more of a prototype that has had success, like physical defenders, like stronger people who can get kind of up underneath him, and bother him in that way."
Tickets for the two - perhaps three - home playoff games in the series with the Spurs go are on-sale now. Click here for more information on purchasing those tickets.
Timberwolves-Spurs
Game 1: Monday, May 4 in San Antonio
Game 2: Wednesday, May 6 in San Antonio
Game 3: Friday, May 8 in Minneapolis
Game 4: Sunday, May 10 in Minneapolis
Game 5: Tuesday, May 12 in San Antonio*
Game 6: Friday, May 15 in Minneapolis*
Game 7: Sunday, May 17 in San Antonio*
*= if necessary
