The Minnesota Timberwolves moved a game ahead of Denver in the Western Conference with a 117-108 victory at Ball Arena on Sunday. Anthony Edwards led the charge with 21 points, while Bones Hyland added 18, including 15 in the first half.
“We got 50/50 balls after the first quarter, knocked off a little bit of sluggishness, got our second win, and were quicker to a lot of basketballs,” Chris Finch said. “Guys did a really good job of playing clean and safe in transition.”
Finch highlighted the impact of his rotation without Nikola Jokic on the floor. “You’ve got to win the non-Jokic minutes. Those guys were really good,” he said. “Bones was spectacular today. Played with great pace, got downhill, and forced things to happen.”
Donte DiVincenzo’s return to form energized the team after halftime. “He started the game one for four, finishes four for six. Gave us a big boost coming out of halftime,” Finch said. “He makes so many inspirational defensive plays—tough, gritty plays.”
The Timberwolves’ offensive ball movement was also a focal point. Finch praised Anthony Edwards’ decision-making. “Ant was excellent. Took his shots when they were there, trusted his teammates, and really executed the plays,” he said.
Minnesota’s defense on Jokic remained a challenge. “He’s just such a tough cover. Incredible player,” Finch said. “We tried to mix it up on him. Our guys battled him and that’s all we asked.”
Finch also addressed the seamless fit of new addition Ayo Dosunmu. “It’s a seamless fit. He benefits from ball movement and gets end-to-end quickly. That’s part of our fast-break success,” he said.
Reflecting on the team’s consistency, Finch acknowledged room for improvement. “I still think we have steps to make. Defensively, we were pretty good on the ball but not as good at the basket. We’ve got room to grow over these next 20 games,” he said.
Finch framed Sunday’s win as a crucial statement in the playoff race. “We flagged it as a playoff game for us. They have the tiebreaker, so we got to keep our nose in front of them. We were itching to get back here and redeem ourselves,” he said.
Minnesota led 58-50 at halftime and expanded the margin to 83-69 after DiVincenzo made three 3-pointers. Denver cut it to five late in the third, but Minnesota answered with a 12-2 run and never looked back.
Minnesota improved to 38-23, sweeping the three-game road trip, while Denver fell to 37-24. The Timberwolves host Memphis on Tuesday, and the Nuggets visit Utah on Monday.
