Why Timberwolves’ Chris Finch was calling himself ‘silly’ after surprise Game 6 breakout vs. Nuggets

Minnesota Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch wasn’t ashamed to admit he hadn’t been utilizing Terrence Shannon Jr. the way he should have before their first-round series against the Denver Nuggets. After a 110-98 win in Game 6, the Timberwolves eliminated the Nuggets 4-2 to advance to the Western Conference Semifinals. Shannon Jr., who finished with 24 points, six rebounds, and two steals in the series-clinching victory, played a significant role.

After the game, Finch revealed what the Timberwolves best-of-7 series taught him most about Shannon Jr.

“We’ve learned, with [Terrence Shannon Jr.], he’s gotta have the ball in his hands,” Finch said. “Silly me, we played him out of the corner most of the season, but he’s way better with the ball in his hands at the top of the floor.”

“We’ve learned, with [TJ Shannon], he’s gotta have the ball in his hands.

Silly me, we played him out of the corner most of the season, but he’s way better with the ball in his hands at the top of the floor”

– Chris Finch on TJ Shannon pic.twitter.com/e0BqNSfh1t

— Timberwolves Clips (@WolvesClips) May 1, 2026

After Terrence Shannon Jr.’s breakout performance in Game 5’s 125-113, where he recorded 15 points on 6-for-10 shooting in the Timberwolves’ 125-113 loss, Finch decided to put the ball in Shannon’s hands. Starting the backup guard alongside Mike Conley Jr. in the backcourt.

In only the third start of his career, first in the postseason, Shannon helped the Timberwolves upset Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets. Closing out the best-of-7 series to avoid a Game 7 on the road, Finch and the Timberwolves went on a 12-4 run in the last five minutes of the fourth quarter.

Jaden McDaniels’ 32 points on 13-for-25 shooting and 10 rebounds led the Timberwolves. Julius Randle added 18 points and five assists.

Why Chris Finch says Timberwolves took series ‘personal’

Head coach Chris Finch says the Nuggets chose the Timberwolves to be their first-round opponent. Confident that they could advance to the second round, the Nuggets prefered to face the Timberwolves, which Finch says, added extra motivation for his team, he said, per The Athletic’s Jon Krawczynski.

“They took it personal. Denver had that choice of who they wanted to play and they chose us. They chose us,” Finch said.

The Timberwolves will face the Spurs in Game 1 of their Western Conference semifinal series on Monday.

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