MINNEAPOLIS — The short-handed Minnesota Timberwolves will be without guard Ayo Dosunmu for a crucial Game 6 on Thursday night against the Denver Nuggets because of a right calf issue.
The Timberwolves are up 3-2 in the first-round series but are losing their grip because of their expanding injury list.
In Game 4, they lost Anthony Edwards to a hyperextended left knee and Donte DiVincenzo to a torn right Achilles, leaving the Timberwolves without their starting backcourt. Dosunmu stepped up in their absence, scoring 25, 43 and 18 points in each of the past three games.
But Dosunmu has dealt with a recurring right calf problem during the past several weeks, and it worsened at the wrong time, leaving him inactive for Thursday’s closeout opportunity. Reserve forward Kyle Anderson was also ruled out because of an illness.
Nuggets’ starting wing Aaron Gordon, who had been listed as questionable because of a left calf issue that forced him to miss Games 3 and 5, remained out.
Gordon tested his calf pregame but was ruled out about an hour before the 9:30 p.m. ET tip.
“You can’t think about tomorrow because tomorrow could be nothing,” Adelman said before Gordon was ruled out. “But you also know what’s best for him. He could go out there and play and then be done for the playoffs. It’s really tough.”
Peyton Watson, who has missed the series because of a hamstring strain, remained out for Denver.
