What we learned from the Timberwolves' Game 6 win over Nuggets

There is plenty to take away from the Wolves' 45-point win Thursday night.

May 16, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves forward Jaden McDaniels (3) shoots / Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports

The Minnesota Timberwolves made a statement Thursday night, dominating Game 6 vs. the Nuggets en route to a 45-point victory to force a Game 7 on Sunday.

It was a group effort from Minnesota, highlighted by big nights from Anthony Edwards and Jaden McDaniels. What did we learn heading into Sunday's Game 7?

Jamal Murray's elbow?

Nuggets star guard Jamal Murray has been all over the place this series. In Game 2, he was fined for throwing a heat pack on the court, then he had his best performance of the series in Game 3 with 24 points as fans showered him with boos inside Target Center.

Thursday in Game 6, he seemed to suffer what looked like an elbow injury early in the first quarter. He finished with only 10 points on 22.2% shooting from the field. For the series, he is now averaging 15.7 points and 4.7 assists while shooting 38.2% from the field. Elbow injury or not, Murray has looked frustrated by the Timberwolves defense all series.

Jaden McDaniels' offense

McDaniels had his best offensive performance of the series and probably his best since Game 2 vs. the Suns. With 21 points on 8-of-10 shooting, he was the second-leading scorer for the Wolves. Before Thursday night he was 2-of-12 from 3-point range in the series and it looked like he was beginning to lose his confidence.

He knocked down three of his five attempts from beyond the arc in Game 6, helping Minnsota's offense reach another level.

"Just confidence. He played with confidence," Wolves head coach Chris Finch said. "Eerything came in the flow of the offense and he got a bunch of buckets in a lot of different ways."

Bench difference

A major factor of this series had been both team's production off the bench. In Games 1 and 2, Minnesota's Nickeil Alexander-Walker (9.0 PPG) and Naz Reid (15.0 PPG) performed like two of the best reserve players in the league. Their play dipped in the middle part of the series while Denver's bench of Reggie Jackson, Justin Holiday and Christian Braun hit big shot after big shot.

In Game 6, Alexander-Walker had nine points and Reid had a double-double, while the Nuggets bench didn't score a point until garbage time late in the fourth quarter.

Mike Conley Jr.

Without Conley in Game 5, the Timberwolves looked a bit lost. Anthony Edwards was forced to facilitate more and it took away from his scoring ability. In Game 6, Conley provided the Wolves with exactly what they needed. He finished with 13 points, four rebounds and five assists, while all three of his made 3-pointers coming in timely moments.

"Mike means everything for us, just experience, shot making," Finch said of Conley. "Everything you want in an experienced veteran point guard. And just the fact that Ant doesn't have to handle every single time ... Mike's invaluable."