Nuggets’ Cam Johnson flabbergasted by Timberwolves matchup storyline

After the Denver Nuggets lost the playoff series to the Minnesota Timberwolves with a 110-98 defeat in Game 6, opposing head coach Chris Finch made an interesting comment. With the Nuggets’ embarrassing series loss to the Timberwolves, 3-2, Cam Johnson would speak on Finch’s insinuation that Denver sought out the matchup against Minnesota.

As Denver closed out the regular season on a 12-game winning streak, ending with a 128-118 win over the San Antonio Spurs in the finale, that result ended up with them facing Minnesota in the playoffs, rather than the Houston Rockets if they lost. Though the Nuggets didn’t play big minutes for their usual rotations that game, Johnson took issue with Finch’s take.

“As players, you’re always going to try to win,” Johnson said, via Anthony Slater. “If you’re talking about San Antonio in specific, we have a group of guys that were playing, that are fighting for their careers, that are fighting for their lives. No, they’re never going to lay down. It’s not about seeking a matchup for us, it’s about winning the games that come our way, and then the playoffs come, and you want to do it all over again.”

“The guys that won that game, if we’re talking about San Antonio in specific, did not have Minnesota on their mind to seek a matchup. They wanted to go out there and prove something for themselves and prove something for the team, so it has nothing to do with that.”

"[We chose the Timberwolves] by winning? … We had a group of guys that were playing [in that game vs the Spurs] that are fighting for their careers … its not about seeking a matchup."

—Cam Johnson

(via @anthonyVslater)
pic.twitter.com/SnTvTfHn5I

— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) May 1, 2026

Chris Finch believes the Nuggets chose the Timberwolves for the playoffs

Finch saw the situation differently, as he said after the Timberwolves beat the Nuggets that the latter could’ve picked who they wanted to face and “they chose us,” via The Denver Post.

“Our guys took it personally. Denver had the chance to pick who they wanted to play coming down the stretch, and they chose us,” Finch said. “We used that as motivation in our preparation and all the way through the series.”

The rivalry between the Nuggets and the Timberwolves is alive and well, as it remains to be seen how it progresses next season.

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