Timberwolves upset Nuggets in Game 6

The NBA part is simple — Minnesota just knocked out Denver. The interesting part is how. The Timberwolves beat the Nuggets 110-98 in Game 6 on Thursday, won the series 4-2, and did it without Anthony Edwards, their best scorer and the player most people assumed they could not survive without. That flips the Western bracket and sends Minnesota into a second-round series against San Antonio starting Monday, May 4, at Frost Bank Center. (nba.com) ### Why is this an upset? Because the seeding and the matchup both pointed the other way. Denver was the No. 3 seed, Minnesota was No. 6, and the Nuggets still had Nikola Jokić — the kind of player who usually makes first-round surprises hard to pull off. But Minnesota grabbed control early in the series, won the opener in Denver, then built a 3-1 lead before finishing the job at home in Game 6. (nba.com) ### How did Minnesota win without Edwards? By turning the game into a depth test instead of a star test. Edwards has been listed out after a left knee bone bruise and hyperextension, so Minnesota needed offense from everywhere else. In Game 6, Jaden McDaniels led the way with 29 points, Rudy Gobert scored 19, and the Wolve(nba.com)ts on. (nba.com) ### What went wrong for Denver? The Nuggets never really bent Minnesota’s defense the way a higher seed is supposed to. Their offense looked uneven across the series, and Game 6 followed the same script — too many empty possessions, too little rhythm, and not enough support around Jokić. When a lower seed is comfortable en(nba.com)ol of the terms of the series. That is basically what happened here. (nba.com) ### Why does McDaniels matter so much here? Because this is the exact kind of game that changes how a team is seen. McDaniels is usually discussed as a two-way wing and defensive piece first. But 29 points in a closeout game, with Edwards unavailable, turns him into the answer to the obvious question — where does Minnesota(nba.com)inge of the series. (nba.com) ### What does this set up with San Antonio? A very different problem. San Antonio already handled Portland in the first round and has been waiting while Denver and Minnesota dragged this out. The Spurs are the No. 2 seed, and Game 1 is set for Monday, May 4, in San Antonio. So Minnesota gets almost no time to celebrate — i(nba.com)ctor Wembanyama at the center of everything. (ksat.com) ### Is Edwards expected back soon? Not yet, at least not based on what is public right now. ESPN’s injury listing has him out after the knee injury, and local San Antonio coverage has framed Minnesota’s available personnel for the next round as uncertain. That uncertainty is the catch in all of this. Beating Denver without him is one thing. Beating San Antonio four times without him is a much bigger ask. (espn.com) ### Why does this matter beyond one series? Because it changes what Minnesota’s season means. A first-round exit would have looked like a missed chance. Knocking out Denver without Edwards makes the Wolves look deeper, tougher, and less dependent on one offensive engine than people thought. It also gives San Antonio a second-round opponent that is more dangerous than its seed suggests. (nba.com) ### Bottom line Minnesota did the hard part already — it proved this wasn’t just an Anthony Edwards vehicle. But the next question is harsher. The Wolves stole a series. Now they have to show this version of themselves can last.