The injury-ravaged Minnesota Timberwolves are moving on to the Western Conference semifinals — with help from good old fashioned bulletin-board material. Ahead of Game 6 of their first-round NBA playoff series against the Denver Nuggets, Minnesota faced a full-blown crisis, with Ayo Dosunmu and Kyle Anderson late additions to the injury report.The injury-hit Timberwolves brushed aside the Nuggets in Game 6GettyThey joined Anthony Edwards and Donte DiVincenzo on the sideline at the worst possible time — but without key contributors, the Wolves, somehow, still got it done.And it means Denver are going home and they’ll be no second title for Nikola Jokic.Minnesota, who could soon be shifted to the Eastern Conference, rallied to a 110-98 victory over the Nuggets Thursday night, to finish off another chippy series against their rivals.Postgame, head coach Chris Finch leaned into the idea that Denver ‘chose’ to play his team by beating the San Antonio Spurs in their regular-season finale.Nuggets handed Wolves perfect ‘motivation’ for playoff seriesThe Nuggets went on a 12-game winning streak to finish the season, and had a real chance to ‘pick’ a different first-round playoff opponent when they took the floor in San Antonio.They could have set themselves up to play the inconsistent Houston Rockets, but instead, beat the Spurs with their backups to line up another series with the Wolves.Minnesota bounced Denver in the 2024 semifinals, and the two teams have played out a heated rivalry across the last decade.Ahead of this year’s series, Finch made sure his players were up for the challenge once more.“Denver had the chance to pick who they wanted to play coming down the stretch, and they chose us,” he said after the Wolves closed out the Nuggets.“We used that as motivation all the way through preparation and through the series.Finch made it clear he used Denver’s apparent disrespect as motivation for his teamGetty“They chose us. They didn’t have to choose us. They chose us, and our guys were up for the challenge of that.”While Finch clearly had that idea pinned to the locker room wall, Denver’s Cameron Johnson dismissed the idea of ‘picking’ their opponents.Humbled Nuggets star bites back at ‘picking’ Minnesota match-up“As players, you’re always going to try and win,” he told reporters.“If you’re talking about San Antonio specifically, we’re talking about a group of guys that were playing and fighting for their careers.“They were never going to lay down. It’s not about seeking a match, 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 did not have Minnesota on their minds, to seek a match up, they wanted to go out there and prove something for themselves, and to the team.View Tweet: https://twitter.com/ohnohedidnt24?ref_src=twsrc%5EtfwView Tweet: https://t.co/S2fsQiV0ks“It had nothing to do with (picking a match-up).”Whether it was done on purpose or not, the Nuggets gave the Wolves plenty of motivation to show out in the first-round series.Nikola Jokic makes brutal admission after playoff exitSuperstar Edwards might have been absent Thursday, but Jaden McDaniels stepped up in his absence.McDaniels had 32 points and 10 rebounds at Target Center, while Terrence Shannon Jr. scored 24 points of his own in a surprise start, which also saw Rudy Gobert, Julius Randle and Naz Reid contribute in a big way.Nikola Jokic, meanwhile, impressed with 28 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds for the Nuggets — but had little help from his teammates.Jokic and the Nuggets suffered a first-round playoff exitGettySpeaking after an early playoff exit, he admitted Denver is ‘far’ from NBA championship contention.While the three-time MVP insisted he still wants to be a Nugget forever, he suggested change might be needed to make the team competitive once again.“We just lost in the first round,” Jokic, who set a historic mark just weeks ago, said.“I think we are far away (from title contention).Jokic doesn’t believe Denver is close to title contentionGettyWhen pressed on if changes are needed, he added: “That’s not my decision, to be honest.“Definitely, if we were in Serbia, we would all get fired.”As the Nuggets are left licking their wounds, the injury-hit Wolves will now turn their attentions to the No. 2 seeded-Spurs in the Conference semifinal, which is set to tip off Monday.On the other side of the bracket, the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder who await the winners of the Rockets-Lakers matchup which the Lakers lead 3-2.Stay up to date with the latest from the NBA across all platforms – follow our dedicated talkSPORT USA Facebook page and subscribe to our talkSPORT USA YouTube channel for all the news, exclusives, interviews and more.