The Minnesota Timberwolves closed the regular season with a 132-126 win over the New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday, locking in a first-round playoff series against the Denver Nuggets. Head coach Chris Finch addressed the matchup and multiple player performances in a detailed postgame press conference.
Finch began by highlighting the contributions of his bench unit, saying, “Love the way Enrique came in and Zyon came in. Those guys played with a lot of effort and energy and pop.” He also pointed to activity across the roster, adding, “Joan obviously super active out there, you know, chasing everything. For the most part, it was, you know, really good.”
The Timberwolves coach emphasized development and defensive growth, saying, “There’s a lot to polish there, you know, but the motor is high and we’ve said from day one, he’s pretty fearless,” while adding, “he’s got to keep learning on the job and you did a good job the last two games of staying out of foul trouble, but still being a big presence defensively.”
Looking ahead to the Nuggets series, Finch made the team’s approach clear: “It was never going to be up to us. You know, we’ll go anywhere to play anybody.” He added context on Denver’s form, stating, “We’re super comfortable playing that team. And you know, they’re playing really well, some of the best basketball in the league, so we got our hands full.”
Finch also emphasized preparation during the playoff lead-in week: “I think the value of this week is huge. There’s no doubt about it.” He continued, “You get a week to kind of really work on some new stuff or work on some things that are going to be points of emphasis in the series.”
On Terrence Shannon Jr., Finch noted his scoring impact despite shooting struggles: “I thought his shot wasn’t going from the outside of course, but he was relentless attacking the basket, was rewarded with a lot of free throws.”
He also addressed the familiarity with Denver, saying, “I don’t think it’s overly relevant,” while referencing key Nuggets personnel: “Jokic, Murray, Gordon, Braun, those guys are, you know, been together for a long, long time.”
Defensively, Finch pointed to needed adjustments: “I think our appropriate physicality we need to figure that piece out like, you know, we’re good when we got it. Fouling a lot at the moment.”
Veteran leadership also drew praise, with Finch saying of Joe Ingles, “He just really knows how to play basketball at a high level,” while adding that his mentorship role “keeps these guys organized and make them better.”
As Minnesota prepares for Game 1 in Denver, Finch’s message remained consistent: focus, flexibility, and readiness for a high-level Western Conference battle.
