Timberwolves' Anthony Edwards: Scores 27 in big win Thursday
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Edwards notched 27 points (8-17 FG, 4-9 3Pt, 7-8 FT), four rebounds, four assists and three steals in 34 minutes during Thursday's 115-70 victory over Denver in Game 6 of the Western Conference Semifinals.
Edwards bounced back from an ugly outing in Game 5 and led Minnesota in scoring in this pivotal matchup, as he looked far more aggressive than during his previous appearance. Edwards deserves credit for his constant off-the-ball movement as well, as his movements on the perimeter, coupled with the return of Mike Conley from a one-game absence, made things very difficult for Denver on defense. This was Edwards' fourth game with at least 25 points in the series, and he's expected to operate as Minnesota's primary offensive weapon in Sunday's do-or-die Game 7 at Ball Arena.
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Timberwolves' Jaden McDaniels: Excels in Game 6 victory
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McDaniels notched 21 points (8-10 FG, 3-5 3Pt, 2-2 FT), four rebounds, one assist, two blocks and one steal over 30 minutes during Thursday's 115-70 victory over Denver in Game 6 of the Western Conference Semifinals.
McDaniels is not known for his scoring ability and often gets recognition for his defensive work. Still, he stood out when it mattered the most in this series and finished as Minnesota's second-highest scorer. McDaniels is not expected to hover around the 20-point mark regularly going forward, but this was an excellent showing in a game during which his team needed him to step up. In fact, this was McDaniels' second-best scoring output in the current playoff run, as he scored 25 points in the Game 2 win over the Suns in the first round.
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Timberwolves' Karl-Anthony Towns: Records double-double
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Towns finished Thursday's 115-70 victory over Denver in Game 6 of the Western Conference Semifinals with 10 points (4-10 FG, 0-4 3Pt, 2-2 FT), 13 rebounds and five assists across 29 minutes.
Towns had a couple of clutch buckets in the early stages of the game, but for the most part, he took a backseat in the scoring column as Anthony Edwards and Jaden McDaniels carried Minnesota offensively in this win. The Timberwolves need Towns to be at his best if they want to have a shot at winning a complicated Game 7 on the road, and for that to happen, he'll need to be even more aggressive on the offensive end of the court, an area in which he hasn't been consistent throughout the series. Towns has reached the 20-point mark in four of the six games he's played in the semis, and the Timberwolves have gone 3-1 in those contests.
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Timberwolves' Nickeil Alexander-Walker: Moves to bench
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Alexander-Walker will move to the bench for Thursday's Game 6 versus Denver.
This is an expected move with Mike Conley back from his injury. Alexander-Walker fared well in his spot start in Game 5, producing 14 points (5-12 FG, 4-8 3Pt), two rebounds, five assists and two blocks across 39 minutes.
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Timberwolves' Mike Conley: Will play Thursday
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Conley (Achilles) will play in Game 6 against the Nuggets on Thursday, head coach Chris Finch told Jack Borman of SB Nation.
Finch also said the Wolves will be "mindful" of Conley's minutes after he missed Game 5 with an Achilles injury. Still, the veteran floor general will be out there in what could be the last game of the season for a Minnesota team that has lost three in a row against the defending champions. Conley is averaging 11.3 points, 7.0 assists and 3.8 rebounds per game during the current postseason run, and even though he'll have his minutes monitored, it would be shocking if he's not part of the starting lineup.
Timberwolves' Mike Conley: Likely to play Thursday
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Conley (Achilles) is expected to play in Thursday's Game 6 against the Nuggets, Shams Charania of The Athletic reports.
Conley is expected to return to action Thursday after missing Game 5 with right Achilles soreness. If the veteran guard is ultimately upgraded from questionable to available, he will likely reclaim his starting spot from Nickeil Alexander-Walker.
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Timberwolves' Mike Conley: Present at shootaround
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Conley (Achilles) is at Minnesota's shootaround ahead of Thursday's Game 6 against Denver, Chris Hine of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.
Conley is listed as questionable for Thursday's contest after missing Game 5 with right Achilles soreness. While Conley's presence at shootaround is a good sign of his availability, the veteran guard was also at shootaround ahead of Game 5 before being ruled out.
Conley (Achilles) is questionable for Thursday's Game 6 against the Nuggets.
Conley was a late addition to the injury report ahead of Game 5 due to right Achilles soreness and was ultimately unable to play, allowing Nickeil Alexander-Walker to get his first start of the postseason. If Conley is sidelined again, Monte Morris would be a candidate for double-digit minutes off the bench.
Timberwolves' Anthony Edwards: Underwhelming in Tuesday's loss
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Edwards provided 18 points (5-15 FG, 1-5 3Pt, 7-8 FT), four rebounds, nine assists and one steal in 44 minutes during Tuesday's 112-97 loss to the Nuggets in Game 5 of the Western Conference Semifinals.
Coming off a 44-point explosion in Game 4, Edwards struggled from the field in Game 5. He salvaged his production by dishing out a playoff-high nine dimes, but it wasn't enough as Minnesota dropped a third straight game. Edwards scored less than 20 points in two of the three losses, but overall, he has been stellar in the playoffs and is averaging 28.8 points, 6.2 rebounds, 5.8 assists, 1.5 steals and 0.8 blocks in 10 appearances.
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Timberwolves' Nickeil Alexander-Walker: Serviceable in spot start
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Alexander-Walker amassed 14 points (5-12 FG, 4-8 3Pt), two rebounds, five assists and two blocks across 39 minutes during Tuesday's 112-97 loss to the Nuggets in Game 5 of the Western Conference Semifinals.
Alexander-Walker moved into the starting lineup Tuesday, replacing Mike Conley who was ruled out due to an Achilles issue. While he was far from spectacular, Alexander-Walker cobbled together a serviceable performance, contributing on both ends of the floor. Now trailing 3-2 in the series, Minnesota will hope Conley is cleared to return for Game 6. If that's not the case, expect to see Alexander-Walker running with the starters again.
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Timberwolves' Naz Reid: Struggles in Game 5 loss
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Reid contributed seven points (3-8 FG, 0-3 3Pt, 1-2 FT), three rebounds and one block in 20 minutes during Tuesday's 112-97 loss to the Nuggets in Game 5 of the Western Conference Semifinals.
Reid was a non-factor in the loss, continuing his recent struggles. Coming off a career-best regular season, Reid has been unable to produce consistently during the postseason. He has scored fewer than 15 points in eight of the Timberwolves' nine playoff games. Now facing a must-win matchup, Reid will look to turn things around in front of his home fans.
Towns left Tuesday's game versus the Nuggets with 2:14 remaining in the first quarter due to an apparent left knee injury but checked back in with 1:23 left in the first quarter.
Towns appeared to aggravate the left knee that he had surgically repaired in March after Kentavious Caldwell-Pope inadvertently tripped him, Vinny Benedetto of The Denver Gazette reports. However, Towns missed less than a minute of game action and should be available to finish Tuesday's contest.
Alexander-Walker is in the starting five for Tuesday's Game 5 against the Nuggets.
Alexander-Walker will replace Mike Conley (Achilles) in the starting lineup Tuesday. Alexander-Walker averaged 11.5 points, 3.6 assists, 2.8 rebounds and 1.1 steals in 32.3 minutes across his previous 10 starting appearances this season, which all came during the regular season.
