*This post originally appears on Denver Stiffs, the longest running Denver Nuggets fan site in existence and part of the Mile High Sports Network. Head over to DenverStiffs.com to join in on the conversation on today’s game and all things Nuggets with your fellow Nuggets superfans! The Denver Nuggets face another must-win situation in game six against the Minnesota Timberwolves and ultimately couldn’t find a way to get it done. It was Terrence Shannon Jr. as the Minnesota Timberwolves role player to step up in this game and that was able to offset a big night from Nikola Jokic. Jamal Murray put up a complete dud while Jaden McDaniels got the last laugh. The Nuggets season ends with a 110-98 game six loss in Minnesota. The game opened with the Wolves expectedly struggling to find scorers and it took them a couple minutes to get on the board. Eventually Julius Randle got a couple buckets while the Nuggets got sloppy with the ball and Minnesota went in front. After a timeout the Nuggets calmed down a little bit but were still playing passive. Cam Johnson had some solid minutes midway through the first and got Denver back within two. The Wolves pushed back. They started running the floor and got the lead back up to eight after a Naz Reid layup. Tim Hardaway Jr. hit a three immediately coming out of the timeout but the Nuggets were still struggling to get stops. They used the three-point line to stay within striking range towards the end of the quarter. Johnson and Hardaway really carried the Nuggets offense in the final minutes and got Denver back in front. After one the score was 30-29 Nuggets. Denver looked a little lost to open the second quarter with Jokic on the bench. They got a three from Spencer Jones and a bucket from Jonas Valanciunas but otherwise were left to muck it up with the Wolves. Neither team got a ton of points but Reid did come up hobbling to add to Minnesota’s injury woes. Jokic came back in but Denver was struggling to put the ball in the basket, even from a couple feet away. The Nuggets defense was solid, even if they were picking up some fouls, but they just couldn’t get any points. The Wolves pushed the lead up to eight before Jokic worked for a layup to bring the lead back to a half dozen with three minutes to go. Johnson started to get aggressive again and got the Nuggets some points. He was the only one making baskets though meanwhile Jamal Murray passed up a couple good looks. It wasn’t a great close to the half for Denver. They went to the locker room trailing 57-50. Jokic got a couple baskets to open the second half and got Denver back within a basket early in the third. He looked like the only Nugget willing to take a shot though outside of the occasional Johnson jumper. Denver kept getting close to recapturing the lead but just couldn’t get enough baskets to get over the hump, Murray in particular was struggling. Jokic kept Denver afloat and tied the game a couple times midway through the third. Minnesota pushed back when Denver’s offense went cold again. They pushed the lead back to six and forced David Adelman to take a timeout. The Nuggets calmed down after that, but were still struggling to make shots. Add in some lackadaisical play down the stretch and the third didn’t end how Denver wanted. Going into the final quarter they trailed 82-74. Adelman opened the fourth with Jokic still on the floor, indicating he likely would play the full second half. The Nuggets got a couple threes from Johnson and Spencer Jones but they failed to take care of the glass and gave the Wolves some second chance points. It got chippy after that with Jaylen Clark and Nikola Jokic getting into a pushing and shoving match. It resulted in two technical fouls on Minnesota and one on Denver. That sparked a run for the Nuggets and they got back within a point but couldn’t overtake the Wolves with just over half the quarter left. Minnesota went on a run and got the lead up to eight just under the six-minute mark. The Nuggets weren’t going to go down without a fight. Johnson hit another three and then Murray got fouled by Rudy Gobert to put Denver into the penalty with almost five minutes left in the quarter. The Nuggets got within three and then seemed to be stuck at that spot. With two minutes left they were still trailing by three and the season on the line. They struggled to find stops down the stretch and were running out of time. Murray was targeted every time down and the Nuggets started to fall apart. They ended up letting the game, and their season, end in bitter disappointment with a 110-98 loss.

Final Thoughts

Cam Johnson showed up Got to give credit to Johnson, he played his heart out tonight. He was aggressive on offense and stood his own on defense. Time and again when the Nuggets needed a bucket, Johnson was the guy who got it for them. His effort was needed massively given how much Murray struggled shooting the ball and he was the one guy outside of Jokic who consistently delivered all night. It hasn’t always been pretty for Cam in this series but he came on late to give Denver life when they’ve needed it most. No matter what happens moving forward, Johnson has shown his value in Denver’s system. The Nuggets will have some tough decisions to make this offseason and that may end up involving Cam in one way or another but he’s definitely a guy they benefit from having on the roster. Jamal Murray did not show up
Apr 30, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray (27) looks on against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first half during game six of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images
Well, so much for Playoff Jamal. Murray struggled all night to get going and never found his rhythm on offense. That ended up resulting in a terrible game shooting but what was worse was his inability to defend. It didn’t matter if it was Terrence Shannon or Jaden McDaniels, the Wolves started hunting Murray on defense because he couldn’t stop anyone. In the end that was what spelled doom for Denver and let Minnesota pull away down the stretch. In a game they need their stars to shine the most, Murray put up his worst performance ever. Something has to change This is by far the most unacceptable playoff series loss of the Jokic era. There was absolutely zero reason for Denver to lose this series and they ended up being gifted a Wolves team at 50% strength and couldn’t get done. David Adelman has proven he is incapable of leading this team and needs to go. Aaron Gordon and Murray can no longer be the main support to Jokic on a championship roster. Unfortunately, it’s my belief one of them has to go, probably Gordon who is just too injury prone. The Nuggets have a precious few years left with the best player in the NBA and they need to not waste time. Drastic changes need to come to this roster. It starts with the coach but it can’t end there. There needs to be major changes to this roster as well.