Timberwolves eliminate Nuggets, draw Spurs

The Timberwolves did the hard part Thursday night. They beat Denver 110-98, won the series 4-2, and turned what looked like a depth crisis into a s(nba.com)nesota moves on to San Antonio, where a rested Spurs team has home court and a very different kind of problem to throw at them. (nba.com)ed 32 — a playoff career high — and the Wolves held Denver under 100 for the third time in the series, which is a big deal against a team that averaged 122.1 points in the regular season. (nba.com) ### Why does the injury angle matter so much? Because this was not a normal Minnesota closing lineup story. The Wolves got through Game 6 without Anthony Edwards, and they were already thin enough that every extra scratch changed the shape of the rotation. That makes the result feel less like a routine upset and more like a stress test they somehow passed anyway. (kens5.com) ### What went wrong for Denver? Denver never consistently solved Minnesota’s pressure. Nikola Jokić still put up big series numbers, but the Nuggets’ offense looked cramped compared with i(nba.com)eover gear. When a team with that much firepower gets held below 100 three times in six games, the answer is usually pretty simple — the other defense dictated too much. (nba.com) ### Why is McDaniels the face of this clincher? Because he gave Minnesota exactly the kind of game you need(kens5.com)o made Game 6 feel settled instead of shaky. (nba.com) ### So what changes against San Antonio? Almost everything. Denver tests you with shot-making and Jokić’s decision tree. San Antonio tests you with length, pace control, and Victor Wembanyama existing near the rim. The Spurs also come in fresher after beating Portland 4-1, and they’ll open the series at home because they finished 62-20, well ahead of Minnesota’s 49-33. (nba.com) ### When does the series start? Game 1 is Monday, May 4, at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio. Game 2 stays there on Wednesday, May 6, before the series shifts to Minnesota for Games 3 and 4 on May 8 and May 10. Tip times were still not announced early Friday. (kens5.com)-minnesota/273-446a1e2d-da3c-4ce4-96eb-d3fa184182e1)) ### Why does this matchup feel bigger for the Spurs? Because this is San Antonio’s first second-round appearance since the long rebuild years began, and it’s the franchise’s first playoff meeting with Minnesota since 2001. The drought part matters — the Spurs are no longer just an interesting young team. They’re deep enough and good enough to expect a real run. (kens5.com) ### What’s the actual swing factor now? Minnesota’s health. If Edwards and the missing rotation pieces get(kens5.com) doing it again against a 62-win Spurs team is another. (kens5.com) ### Bottom line? Minnesota earned this the difficult way — battered, short-handed, and still good enough to knock out Denver. But the reward is not relief. It’s Wembanyama, home-court disadvantage, and a series that starts Monday with almost no time to breathe. (nba.com)