The Minnesota Timberwolves’ 4-2 series victory over the Denver Nuggets, sealed in Game 6, removed the Western Conference’s top regular-season seed from the postseason. According to Deadspin, the Timberwolves accomplished the feat while playing short-handed, a detail that sharpens the analytical takeaway: Minnesota’s defensive system and bench production absorbed the absence of a key rotation player and still held Denver to under 100 points in the clinching game. The Nuggets, who had relied on Nikola Jokić’s playmaking to control tempo, were forced into isolation sets and committed 15 turnovers. Minnesota’s next opponent will inherit a team that has proven it can win without its full complement, but the same injury concern lingers as the stakes rise.