Minnesota is missing two of it's top scorers.
Missing both Anthony Edwards and Donte DiVincenzo is a huge loss for the Minnesota Timberwolves and losing both in the same game leaves them with so little time to make adjustments, even if they do have the luxury of needing just one more game to close out their playoff series against the Denver Nuggets.
With that kind of production missing from the roster, it leaves little room for error for theTimberwolves as they try to compensate for what they've lost and just how slim that margin actually is was revealed to them on Monday in their 125-113 loss to the Nuggets.
The biggest issue that the Timberwolves faced was their sheer number of turnovers. Minnesota turned the ball over a staggering 25 times, translating to 35 points for the Nuggets, but the biggest issue with those turnovers isn't necessarily the opportunities that it gave Denver, but the opportunities it took away from Minnesota.
Taking Care of the Ball
"We definitely can't turn the ball over 25 times. We have to get shots up. Trying to make up for Ant... Donte... that's 44, 45 points that we have to make up for," Dosunmu said (via Timberwolves). "We can't do that if we're not getting shots up. We turned the ball over 25 times. I think that's the main thing."
Every possession is precious when the Timberwolves are as short-handed as they've found themselves being. The bright side of things is that even though they dropped Monday's game to Denver, they didn't drop it without a fight.
A triumphant fourth quarter where the Timberwolves outscored the Nuggets 38-28 at least made it a closer game than it was shaping up to be and it speaks to the offensive strength that the Timberwolves possess on their bench.
Who's Carrying the Load?
In terms of star power, they still have Julius Randle to lead the way and players like Dosunmu and Bones Hyland can at least somewhat supplement the loss of production from Edwards and DiVincenzo.
Minnesota Timberwolves guard Ayo Dosunmu (13) drives to the net against Denver Nuggets guard Christian Braun (0) and center Nikola Jokic (15) as forward Spencer Jones (21) defends in the fourth quarter during game five of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Ball Arena. Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn ImagesEven with their depth, it's not going to be an easy task for the Timberwolves and that means they need to put even more emphasis on taking care of their mistakes and especially, taking care of the ball.
Creating shot attempts is going to be the biggest priority moving forward, as Dosunmu said, because the overall skill of the Timberwolves offers them some security that those shots will go in.
They shot 51% from the field in Monday's loss and if their able to take care of the ball, the wound left by Edwards and DiVincenzo will at least feel bearable.