After surviving a brutal first-round gauntlet defined by injuries, ejections, and relentless pressure, the Minnesota Timberwolves aren’t celebrating- they’re bracing for impact. There’s no champagne, no sigh of relief, just tension. Head coach Chris Finch has made it clear: escaping the Denver Nuggets wasn’t a triumph; it was a warning. Now, with the Western Conference Semifinal looming against the San Antonio Spurs, Minnesota finds itself walking a razor’s edge between momentum and collapse.

Finch admitted that the intensity of the Nuggets series may have given their next opponent an advantage. “Let me start by saying, before the series started here, I thought the real winner of this series would be San Antonio because both of these teams were going to take a lot of pieces out of each other, and they did,” Finch said. “So I’m not sure what we have left standing before we go down there.”

This admission of fatigue and physical depletion sets a somber tone for a team that must now figure out how to contain Victor Wembanyama and a Spurs team that’s revitalized since beating the Portland Trail Blazers. Especially when Finch is down one offensive powerhouse in Anthony Edwards.

“They have a really good player, generational talent, and they’re playing with a ton of attitude, and it looked like they’re playing with a lot of fun and confidence,” Finch admitted. His only recourse is to work tactically as he said, “So we’ll start taking it apart in the film room starting tomorrow.”

He’d correct himself to say that his staff was already dissecting the Spurs film. But they’d likely have to recalibrate everything without Anthony Edwards and Donte DiVincenzo.

Timberwolves worries manifested with Victor Wembanyama’s healthy return

The Timberwolves’ injury report is currently a major point of anxiety for the team and the fans in the Twin Cities. Anthony Edwards, who last played only 18 minutes in Game 4 and managed just five points, suffered a bone bruise and hyperextension of his left knee in the closing minutes. This will rule him out for multiple weeks if the Wolves do get past the semifinals.

If that wasn’t all, the Wolves starters and fans saw the brutal way Donte DiVincenzo went down in Game 4, too. He was officially diagnosed with an Achilles’ tear and ruled out for the rest of the season.

To add to their woes, Bones Hyland is suffering from left knee soreness. Ayo Dosunmu was ruled out of Game 6 with a calf injury, and he’s still questionable for the next round. Kyle Anderson didn’t play tonight because of an illness. Somehow, the skeleton crew of Wolves pulled a 110-98 win over the Nuggets.

In contrast, the Spurs are entering the series with their primary star healthy. Victor Wembanyama recently cleared the NBA’s concussion protocol after a scary fall against Portland. Even when he was absent, Stephon Castle’s and De’Aaron Fox’s swagger kept the team well in the lead.

Minnesota took the regular-season edge, 2–1, and put up real numbers doing it—117.3 points a night on 48.7% shooting and a blistering 39.1% from deep. They were comfortable. Maybe even a little too comfortable. Because this wouldn’t be that version of the matchup.

Take Anthony Edwards off the floor, and the series flips fast.

San Antonio just rolled Portland 4–1 and looks the part. Victor Wembanyama is everywhere- erasing shots at the rim, cleaning up mistakes, and still giving you efficient offense. De’Aaron Fox is pushing tempo and keeping the pressure constant. It’s a clean, modern attack backed by length and chaos.

Without Edwards, Minnesota loses its engine. He’s the guy who bends defenses, breaks them late in the clock, and turns nothing into something. Without him, the Wolves start leaning on Ayo Dosunmu, Julius Randle, and others to create off the bounce. That’s a tougher diet, more contested looks, more stalled possessions.

And it plays right into San Antonio’s hands.

No Edwards means less paint pressure, which means the Spurs don’t have to scramble. They can stay home on shooters, load up on Julius Randle’s pick-and-pops and post touches, and sit on Rudy Gobert’s rolls. Everything gets tighter. More predictable.

That’s when mistakes creep in. Extra responsibility for secondary handlers usually means more turnovers, and against a Spurs team this long and this active, that’s dangerous. One bad pass, one stripped drive, and suddenly it’s Wembanyama gliding down the middle as a trailer or Fox pulling up early in the clock. That’s the avalanche scenario. And without Edwards, it’s a lot easier to see it coming.

The series also marks a definitive passing of the torch at the center position between two French teammates. It features a clash between Rudy Gobert, the understated veteran with four Defensive Player of the Year trophies, and Wembanyama, who was recently named the first-ever unanimous DPOY.

Gobert, who finished fourth in this year’s voting, now must defend his “generational” countryman while his team’s perimeter is lacking DiVincenzo’s defensive impact and is uncertain about Edwards. With Wembanyama leading the league in blocks by a massive margin, Minnesota’s depleted offense faces an uphill battle to find points in the paint.