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The Minnesota Timberwolves leaned on defensive discipline, transition pace, and balanced scoring to take a 113-96 win over the Denver Nuggets on Thursday night at Target Center, seizing a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series.
Head coach Chris Finch credited the tone-setting defense from the opening tip, saying the group was “locked in, into the ball” and focused on “challenging everything, just making everything hard all the way around.” Minnesota held Denver to just 11 first-quarter points in a dominant start.
Finch emphasized the importance of setting the physical standard early at home. “Came out and just set the tone, which is what we wanted to do here at home,” he said.
Jaden McDaniels delivered one of the defining performances of the night with 20 points and 10 rebounds, impacting both ends throughout the game. Finch described his effort as complete, highlighting activity plays that shaped momentum.
“It’s spectacular,” Finch said. “To have that much energy, his offense was outstanding. His activity offensively in the first quarter was outstanding.”
Finch also pointed to McDaniels’ work on the margins. “Trying to go get tips, loose balls, offensive rebounds, 50/50 plays, broken plays, all that kind of stuff. Defensively he was outstanding tonight. He was inspirational, no doubt.”
Minnesota’s offense produced 31 assists, a key point for Finch after a game in which perimeter shooting fluctuated. He acknowledged Denver’s defensive schemes but stressed execution. “They’re not going to let you come down and just shoot it on the initial side,” Finch said. “We have to keep staying in the flow and keep finding things.”
Ayo Dosunmu added a major bench spark with 25 points and nine assists, something Finch had been waiting for in the series. “I’ve been waiting for him to wake up a little bit this series,” he said. “The downhill mindset that he played with all season was back.”
Anthony Edwards was limited to 23 minutes due to foul trouble, something Finch clarified was not part of a planned workload reduction. “Every time it turned around, I had to take him out of the game,” he said.
Defensively, Rudy Gobert anchored the paint once again, drawing praise from Finch for his matchup work against Nikola Jokic. “Rudy’s making us all look good right now with his defense,” Finch said.
Still, Finch pointed to areas for correction despite the win. “Just fouling was a lot of fouling,” he said. “I thought the fouling was irresponsible at times. Other than that, some of our offense was a little grindy.”
Minnesota also tightened ball security, committing just 11 turnovers. Finch credited preparation and decision-making. “The players are locked in and they’re taking care of it,” he said.
The series now shifts back with Minnesota holding momentum, built on defensive structure, transition execution, and a collective approach that Finch believes is still evolving.
