The Minnesota Timberwolves have been in a stiff competition against the defending champions, the Denver Nuggets, since the past few days. While the franchise had established a 2-0 lead during the beginning of their ongoing semifinals, the Nuggets caught up and currently hold a 3-2 lead over their rivals. One more loss and the Timberwolves’ aspirations of possessing a championship ring will head down the drain. Therefore, the roster will be looking to utilize their full potential and make use of that player who was missing from their lineup in the previous game, Mike Conley Jr. Unfortunately, his status remains under a cloud of doubt.

A few hours ago, NBA reporter Dane Moore took to his official X account to highlight details from the Timberwolves’ recently released Injury Report. According to Moore’s post, Mike Conley’s status has been listed as ‘Questionable’. This puts his availability at 50-50 odds. Furthermore, while he was earlier diagnosed with having suffered from an Achilles soreness, his injury has now been updated to a ‘right soleus strain’.

During Game 4, Mike Conley Jr. helped Anthony Edwards lead the offensive front through his 15 points, 2 rebounds, and 9 assists. He could have gone even further with his scoring effort if a failed corner 3 attempt during the 4th quarter hadn’t caused the player to accidentally land on his right heel and injure it. Onlookers at the Target Center in Minnesota saw the player limping in pain while attempting to get off the playing floor.

Mike Conley was listed as ‘Questionable’ for Game 5. However, just minutes before the commencement of the game, he was declared out after a final diagnosis. In his absence, Anthony Edwards, Rudy Gobert, and Karl-Anthony Towns attempted to keep up with the Nuggets. In the end, however, they lost by a score of 112-97. The player had been averaging over 11.3 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 7.0 assists during the course of the matchup. With each point making the difference in the Timberwolves’ chances of heading to the next stage, Conley’s availability is a must for his team.

The only player listed on the Timberwolves Injury Report, with the exception of Mike Conley, is 22-year-old shooting guard Jaylen Clark. From the Denver Nuggets side, star player Jamal Murray continues to be listed as Questionable. Point guard Reggie Jackson and shooting guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope had earlier been removed from the Report and are now healthy enough to play their 100% during the crucial Eliminator game.

What will the Starting Lineup and the Depth Chart look like for Game 6

With Mike Conley being absent during Game 5, the position of Point Guard was covered by the team’s secondary shooting guard, Nickeil Alexander-Walker. The player had managed to put up a score of 14 points, 2 rebounds, and 5 assists. If Conley is declared out before Game 6 as well, then Alexander-Walker may once again be expected to take his place. Furthermore, the team’s secondary point guard, Monte Morris, saw an increase in his playtime during Game 5. The same may be expected once again under Conley’s absence.

Jaylen Clark has not played even a single game since the beginning of the 2023-24 tournament. Therefore, his absence will not affect the main lineup. Thus, bearing all of the above updates in mind, the Starting Lineup for the Minnesota Timberwolves during Game 6 is expected to look something like this:

Despite being listed as ‘Questionable’ for quite a long time, Jamal Murray has been present for each matchup against the Timberwolves. However, when he is unavailable, the fully recovered Reggie Jackson is present to take his place. Bearing this status in mind, the Starting Lineup for the Denver Nuggets during Game 6 is expected to look something like this:

Do you believe that a Mike Conley-less Timberwolves can still dominate the Timberwolves during this crucial stage? Let us know in the comments down below.