The Minnesota Timberwolves dropped a 125-113 decision to the Denver Nuggets on Monday, falling 3-2 in the Western Conference playoff series at Ball Arena. Ayo Dosunmu led Minnesota with 18 points but highlighted turnovers as the defining factor in the loss.
Dosunmu addressed early offensive inconsistency and dismissed chemistry concerns when asked about lineup adjustments. “No, I just think we just got to be smarter, be stronger with the ball,” he said. “I think a lot of the turnovers were plays that if we could get back, I’m pretty sure we’ll be happy to do so.”
Minnesota struggled to generate consistent rim pressure against Denver’s set defense, something Dosunmu tied to execution rather than scheme changes. “We definitely missed some easy shots, some shots that we been making, but we just got to be more decisive making our decisions with whether it’s finishing at the rim or kicking it out and then creating other opportunities on the opposite side,” he said.
The guard also pointed to the direct scoring impact of live-ball mistakes. “It just gave them easy baskets. They were able to get the crowd involved, get easy dunks,” Dosunmu said. “Anytime you turn the ball over 25 times, that’s 25 chances that you did not get a shot up. When you’re playing against a team that’s desperate, that cannot happen.”
Despite Denver being without key rotation pieces for stretches, Dosunmu emphasized the Timberwolves’ responsibility for the result. “No, I think most of the turnovers were on us. Just us moving too fast or not making the right play,” he said. “I don’t think that them being desperate really got into us in that aspect.”
The Minnesota guard also referenced missing production from sidelined teammates Anthony Edwards and Donte DiVincenzo. “We definitely can’t turn the ball over 25 times. We have to get shots up,” he said. “That’s 44, 45 points that we have to make up for, and we can’t do that if we’re not getting shots up.”
Defensive lapses early in possessions also drew emphasis. “That’s just got to be better. Can’t let that happen. Just got to be better,” Dosunmu said when asked about breakdowns in coverage.
He pointed to offensive simplicity as the formula that previously produced success in the series. “Sometimes simple is boring, but simplicity is what wins you games, gets the job done,” he said. “We have to just do a better job of that.”
Dosunmu also noted spacing adjustments and quicker ball movement as necessary responses. “If they’re in the gaps more, we just got to kick the ball out,” he said. “That just means we got to move the ball faster.”
Looking ahead to Game 6, Dosunmu remained confident in Minnesota’s response. “We’re at 100%,” he said. “We’ll go watch film tomorrow, lock in, and then go get a win on Thursday.”
