Former NBA player Jason Williams sees the first-round matchup between the Denver Nuggets and Minnesota Timberwolves as one of the most competitive in the playoffs. With both teams evenly matched, he believes the series could come down to key x-factors.
For Minnesota, Williams pointed to the importance of role players, highlighting Bones Hyland and Naz Reid as crucial pieces who must step up.
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Williams shared his thoughts on the matter on the “Hoopin’ N Hollerin'” podcast, pointing out that for Minnesota to give their cause in the postseason a major boost, the rest of the team has to step up in every possible way.
“I think for the Timberwolves to be effective and have a chance to win this series, guys like Bones Hyland and Nas Reid, they can’t be too worried about scoring points… They got to find other ways to affect the game and affect it in a big way,” Williams said.
“Whether it be rebounding or taking a charge or something like that as opposed to scoring, that is what’s going to get them over the hump. Playing just a normal game like you’ve been playing the whole season, that ain’t enough to beat Joker (Nikola Jokic) and Jamal Murray and Aaron Gordon in this situation to me,” he added.
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Stepping up in Game 2
Williams became more convinced of the important role bench players play in this series after seeing the impact Hyland and Reid had in Game 2, helping the team win, 119-114, and pull even in the series at a game apiece.
Hyland, playing in his first full season with the Timberwolves, played just 10 minutes but was productive, going for 13 points on 4-of-5 shooting from the field and 3-of-4 from three.
Reid, the 2024 NBA Sixth Man of the Year, had a near double-double of 11 points and nine rebounds in 27 minutes on the floor. It was a considerable jump from the five points and two rebounds he had in the series-opener, where Minnesota lost.
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Also coming up with solid contributions was midseason acquisition Ayo Dosunmu, who had nine points, five assists and four rebounds in 23 minutes.
Their stepped-up play augmented those of starters Anthony Edwards (30 points and 10 assists), Julius Randle (24 points), Donte DiVincenzo (16 points) and Jaden McDaniels (14 points). Rudy Gobert struggled offensively with just two points, but came up big defensively in the clutch against Jokic.
Another deep run in the playoffs
The Timberwolves are looking to make another deep run in the playoffs after reaching the Western Conference finals in each of the last two seasons. They are playing against a formidable and familiar opponent early in the Nuggets, but they are hell-bent on getting it done.
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“I’ve said it all year. We know this team — who we can be and who we have been. It’s about whether we can maintain that. We don’t ever really want to be a flip-a-switch team, but we do have a switch to flip and we have to flip it now,” Timberwolves coach Chris Finch shared right before the playoffs started.
And as they go about seeking that continuity in their game to succeed in the playoffs, they have to strive to do so through collective effort to make the climb as seamless as possible.
This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Apr 22, 2026, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.