Former Illinois Stars Fuel Minnesota Timberwolves' Push to NBA Playoffs Second Round

In Game 3, Dosunmu burst onto the scene, scoring 25 points on a sterling 10-for-15 effort from the field while dishing out nine assists to spark the Timberwolves to a win, giving them a 2-1 series lead. 

That was just a taste of what was to come. In the next contest, Dosunmu exploded. He came off the bench and poured in 43 points, missing just four shots the entire game (13-for-17 from the field and a perfect 12-for-12 from the free-throw line). His performance pushed Minnesota to another victory. 

Game 5 saw Dosunmu earn a start, but his 18 points, three rebounds and four assists weren’t enough to lead the Timberwolves to another win, even with the help of Shannon, who went for 15 points in 14 minutes.

But a nagging calf injury forced Dosunmu to the sideline for another potential closeout contest in Game 6 – which meant one thing: Shannon needed to step up.

Terrence Shannon Jr. helps Minnesota close out Denver Nuggets

Despite playing just 21 total minutes in the series heading into Game 6, Shannon earned his first career playoff start on Thursday. He nearly doubled his previous burn with 38 minutes in Game 6 – and he wasted none of them. Shannon, an ultra-athletic wing, finished with 24 points and six rebounds as the Timberwolves punched their ticket to the second round (where they will face San Antonio Spurs).

He shot just 1-for-7 from deep but dominated at the rack, using his lightning-quick first step and vertical explosion to get to the basket and finish – often through contact. (He went 5-for-5 from the free-throw line as an added bonus.)

Shannon watched crunch time – all 48 minutes, in fact – from the bench in the first few games of the series. But in the closeout win, Shannon was one of the Timberwolves’ go-to options down the stretch. 

“Just be ready when my name [is] called,” Shannon said of his mindset in a postgame interview with ESPN. “And got to perform.”“He’s been ready since he got in the league,” said teammate Jaden McDaniels.