Terrence Shannon Jr. Cleared for Game 6 After Head Contusion

Terrence Shannon Jr. will play in Game 6 for Minnesota after being listed as questionable earlier Friday because of a head contusion. The Timberwolves need a home win to force Game 7 on Sunday, and his availability gives Chris Finch another rotation piece in a series they trail 3-2.

Terrence Shannon Jr. and Minnesota

The guard was added to the injury report at 12:54 pm, when Minnesota listed him as questionable to suit up in Minnesota on Friday night. By 7:10 pm, the team said Shannon would be active tonight.

That shift matters because he has not been a fringe piece in this postseason. Shannon opened the playoffs with multiple DNP-CDs, then scored 24 points in nearly 35 minutes in Minnesota’s close-out game against Denver in the first round.

Chris Finch Rotation

Since that Denver game, Shannon has played a larger role. In five games against San Antonio in the conference semifinals, he averaged 8.6 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 2.0 assists in 25.0 minutes per contest.

He also showed both ends of his range against the Spurs. Shannon made 14 of 48 shots, which is 29.2 percent, and hit 3 of 17 from three-point range, 17.6 percent.

Before this playoff run, Shannon appeared in 43 regular-season games and averaged 12.5 minutes per game. That made Friday’s update more than a routine injury note for Minnesota, because the team had already leaned on him in a shorter rotation and was facing a 3-2 deficit with no margin for error.

For the Timberwolves, the practical next step is simple: use his minutes. Game 6 is at home, and if Minnesota handles that job, Sunday becomes the only date that matters.