Jaden McDaniels gave Minnesota something bigger than a one-night scoring spike in its 110-98 closeout win over Denver on April 30. He showed the Timberwolves a version of themselves that can still function while Anthony Edwards works back from a left knee bone bruise and hyperextension, and that matters immediately with Victor Wembanyama and San Antonio next on the bracket.
McDaniels turned size into offense
McDaniels finished with 32 points, 10 rebounds, three assists and two steals, but the useful part was where those points came from. Minnesota did not survive by inventing pretty half-court answers. It survived by letting McDaniels attack the soft spots Denver could not seal at the rim.
Minnesota scored 64 points in the paint in Game 6. That is the kind of total that tells you the Wolves were not just hot. They were bigger, more direct and more comfortable living inside the game.
The Wolves found a version of pace they can trust
McDaniels described the shift after the game as playing faster, moving the ball side to side and attacking mismatches. That line fits what the tape looked like. Minnesota was not trying to replace Edwards shot for shot. It was getting into actions earlier, keeping the ball moving and forcing Denver to defend multiple drives in the same possession.
That version is important because San Antonio is far less forgiving when the ball sticks. The Spurs can erase delayed decisions with length, especially around Wembanyama, so Minnesota needed proof that it could still create pressure without defaulting into one star solving everything.
The defensive formula looked more portable than the scoring
The bigger takeaway may have been on the other end. Rudy Gobert took the Jokic assignment seriously, McDaniels stayed disruptive on the wing, and Minnesota used its size to control the glass in a 50-33 rebounding edge.
Denver shot just 38.7 percent from the field, and Jamal Murray finished 4 for 17. McDaniels said after the game that Gobert did a good job taking the challenge on Jokic. That is the piece Minnesota can bring into the next round even if McDaniels is not scoring 32 again.
The Anthony Edwards injury changes the standard
Edwards’ injury means the Timberwolves are no longer waiting for the ideal version of the roster to show up. Reports ahead of the Spurs series pointed to a multi-week absence with Game 3 or 4 as a possible target, which puts a lot more weight on lineups built around size, rebounding and defensive discipline.
That does not mean Minnesota suddenly has a comfortable answer for San Antonio. It means the Wolves now have a clear fallback identity instead of pretending the old one is still available.
Why this matters against San Antonio
The Spurs will pressure every weak decision more sharply than Denver did once the series got physical. Minnesota does not need McDaniels to become its first option to compete. It needs him to keep turning open space into paint pressure, keep defending across positions and keep the game from shrinking into a half-court wait for help.
McDaniels said there was no choice but to win in Game 6. That mindset matters now because the Timberwolves do not have the luxury of easing into the next series. They just found the version of themselves that gives them a chance to last a little longer.
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