By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
No Anthony Edwards, no Ayo Dosunmu, and no Donte DiVincenzo for the Timberwolves, but they still made it, pushing Nikola Jokic into misery.
Jaden McDaniels had 32 points and 10 rebounds, and Terrence Shannon Jr. scored 24 points in a surprise start for the injury-ravaged Minnesota Timberwolves in a 110-98 victory over the Denver Nuggets in Game 6 (4-2), moving on to the Western Conference semifinals.
French big man Rudy Gobert also had a big part in the win with 10 points, 13 rebounds, and eight assists, plus two blocks.
Serb Superastr Nikola Jokic had 28 points, 10 assists, and nine rebounds to lead the Nuggets, but sidekick Jamal Murray was held to 12 points on 4-for-17 shooting.
Cameron Johnson scored 27 points to lead Denver’s 10-for-27 night from deep, which was not enough.
With their top three guards out because of injuries, the Timberwolves went big with Gobert, Julius Randle, and Naz Reid fueling a 64-40 advantage in points in the paint and a 50-33 edge in rebounding.
Minnesota, the No. 6 seed in the Western Conference, will start the second round at San Antonio on Monday. The second-seeded Spurs beat Portland in five games in their first-round series.
NBA Playoffs 2026
Eastern Conference
Quarterfinals (best-of-seven)
1. Detroit Pistons – Orlando Magic 2-3 (101-112, 98-83, 105-113, 88-94, 116-109)
2. Cleveland Cavaliers – Toronto Raptors 3-2 (126-113, 115-105, 104-126, 89-93, 125-120)
3. New York Knicks – Atlanta Hawks 4-2 (113-102, 106-107, 108-109, 114-98, 126-97, 89-140)
4. Boston Celtics – Philadelphia 76ers 3-3 (123-91, 97-111, 108-100, 128-96, 97-113, 106-93)
Semifinals (best-of-seven)
5. Winners 1- Winner 2
6. New York Knicks -4
Finals (best-of-seven)
Winners of Semifinals
Western Conference
Quarterfinals (best-of-seven)
1. Oklahoma City Thunder – Phoenix Suns 4-0 (119-84, 120-107, 121-109, 131-122)
2. Los Angeles Lakers – Houston Rockets 3-1 (107-98, 101-94, 112-108, 96-115)
3. Denver Nuggets – Minnesota Timberwolves 2-4 (126-115, 114-119, 96-113, 96-112, 125-113, 98-100)
4. San Antonio Spurs – Portland Trail Blazers 4-1 (111-98, 103-106, 120-108, 114-93, 114-95)
Semifinals (best-of-seven)
5. Oklahoma City Thunder – Winner 2
6. San Antonio Spurs – Minnesota Timberwolves
Finals (best-of-seven)
Winners of Semifinals
NBA Finals 2026 (best-of-seven)
Eastern Conference and Western Conference champions