The Minnesota Timberwolves have swept Kevin Durant and the Phoenix Suns but they may have to face the next round without head coach Chris Finch. After an unexpected collision, he may have to miss some time to recover as the severity of the injury has been revealed.
In Game 4 between the Timberwolves and Phoenix, the former went home with with 122-116 win and the sweep over the latter. Anthony Edwards had a stellar showing when he dropped 40 points, nine rebounds, and six assists. Karl-Anthony Towns tallied 28 points and 10 rebounds, while Jaden McDaniels contributed 18 points for Minnesota.
The Suns, on the other hand, were led by Devin Booker’s 49 points on 61 percent shooting from the field, five rebounds, and six assists. Durant made 33 points, nine rebounds, and five assists, while Bradley Beal had a horrible performance when he finished the game with nine points and two assists.
The win marked the first time Minnesota won a playoff series since the 2003-04 season with Kevin Garnett still playing in the lineup. The loss, however, meant that Phoenix’s massive offseason last year with Beal’s acquisition amounted to zero playoff wins and a questionable future for their All-Star trio and the franchise itself.
Minnesota Timberwolves Head Coach Chris Finch’s Injury Status Revealed
At some point during the fourth quarter, Finch collided with Mike Conley on the sidelines. He was then in visible pain as the Timberwolves head coach was assisted back to the locker room. Just recently, though, Shams Charania revealed the severity of his injury on X:
“Minnesota Timberwolves coach Chris Finch is feared to have a torn patellar tendon in his knee on late game collision during Game 4 win in Phoenix, sources say. Brutal,” Charania tweeted.
The Timberwolves are set to face the winner of the Denver Nuggets-Los Angeles Lakers series in the second round. If they face the former, though, they will surely need Finch coaching if they hope to get past the Nikola Jokic-led team.
It’s not yet known when Finch will make it back to active duty and guide Minnesota for the remainder of its playoff run. Fortunately, the Edwards-led squad got the clean sweep over Phoenix, which gave them additional time to get some rest.
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