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  • Excels in Game 6 victory
    McDaniels notched 21 points (8-10 FG, 3-5 3Pt, 2-2 FT), four rebounds, one assist, two blocks and one steal over 30 minutes during Thursday's 115-70 victory over Denver in Game 6 of the Western Conference Semifinals.

    Advice: McDaniels is not known for his scoring ability and often gets recognition for his defensive work. Still, he stood out when it mattered the most in this series and finished as Minnesota's second-highest scorer. McDaniels is not expected to hover around the 20-point mark regularly going forward, but this was an excellent showing in a game during which his team needed him to step up. In fact, this was McDaniels' second-best scoring output in the current playoff run, as he scored 25 points in the Game 2 win over the Suns in the first round. Rotowire.com Yesterday, 9:02 pm
     
  • Records double-double
    Towns finished Thursday's 115-70 victory over Denver in Game 6 of the Western Conference Semifinals with 10 points (4-10 FG, 0-4 3Pt, 2-2 FT), 13 rebounds and five assists across 29 minutes.

    Advice: Towns had a couple of clutch buckets in the early stages of the game, but for the most part, he took a backseat in the scoring column as Anthony Edwards and Jaden McDaniels carried Minnesota offensively in this win. The Timberwolves need Towns to be at his best if they want to have a shot at winning a complicated Game 7 on the road, and for that to happen, he'll need to be even more aggressive on the offensive end of the court, an area in which he hasn't been consistent throughout the series. Towns has reached the 20-point mark in four of the six games he's played in the semis, and the Timberwolves have gone 3-1 in those contests. Rotowire.com Yesterday, 9:02 pm
     
  • Can't carry Denver in Game 6
    Jokic contributed 22 points (9-19 FG, 0-4 3Pt, 4-4 FT), nine rebounds and two assists across 36 minutes during Thursday's 115-70 loss to the Timberwolves in Game 6 of the Western Conference Semifinals.

    Advice: Jokic delivered one of the best performances of his playoff career in Game 5 of the series, but he was unable to repeat those numbers in this woeful loss despite a respectable stat line. Jokic shot under 50 percent from the field for the third time in the series, and the Nuggets have lost every time that has happened. While the entire Nuggets offense must perform better in a do-or-die Game 7 contest on Sunday, Jokic will be the one who sets the tone early on. Rotowire.com Yesterday, 9:01 pm
     
  • Solid play not enough Thursday
    Gordon recorded 12 points (4-7 FG, 2-4 3Pt, 2-2 FT), eight rebounds, four assists and three blocks in 28 minutes during Thursday's 115-70 loss to Minnesota in Game 6 of the Western Conference Semifinals.

    Advice: The entire Nuggets offense struggled in this game, as shown by the fact the team shot 30.2 percent from the field and 19.4 percent from three-point range in this Game 6 loss. Despite the collective struggles, Gordon found a way to make an impact with his two-way play, and he was also one of just three Denver players who scored in double digits in this loss. Gordon has been arguably the second-best player for Denver in this series, and he'll aim to deliver another strong showing in Game 7 at home on Sunday. Rotowire.com Yesterday, 9:00 pm
     
  • Jaden McDaniels scores 21 points in Game 6
    Jaden McDaniels racked up 21 points (8-of-10 FGs, 2-of-2 FTs) to go along with four rebounds, an assist, a steal, two blocks, and three made 3-pointers in 31 minutes.

    Advice: McDaniels has been fairly quiet offensively since the first round but topped 20 points for the second time this postseason on Thursday while trailing only Aaron Gordon in blocks. The Timberwolves wing affected his team’s offense and defense and offense significantly in a must-win contest. Rotoworld Yesterday, 8:31 pm
     
  • Aaron Gordon notches 12/8/4/3 line in Game 6
    Aaron Gordon amassed 12 points (4-of-7 FGs, 2-of-2 FTs) with eight rebounds, four assists, three blocks, and a pair of 3-pointers in 28 minutes.

    Advice: Gordon surprisingly only trailed Nikola Jokic in points among Nuggets players and did a little bit of everything. He was efficient on offense and disruptive on defense in the Nuggets’ big loss while many of his teammates struggled. Rotoworld Yesterday, 8:21 pm
     
  • Nikola Jokic scores 22 points in Game 6
    Nikola Jokic scored a team-high 22 points (9-of-19 FGs, 4-of-4 FTs) on Thursday. He snared nine rebounds to go along with two assists and missed all four of his attempts from 3-point range.

    Advice: Jokic flirted with a double-double but didn’t do nearly enough to keep Denver in Game 5. He shot under 50% from the field for the second time in the series and will get a chance to bounce back for Game 7 back home. Rotoworld Yesterday, 8:16 pm
     
  • Steps up offensively in win
    Jones had 19 points (7-9 FG, 3-5 3Pt, 2-2 FT), one rebound, one assist, one block and one steal across 28 minutes during Wednesday's 104-92 win over Oklahoma City in Game 5 of the Western Conference Semifinals.

    Advice: The Mavericks needed someone to step up offensively due to P.J. Washington's cold shooting and Kyrie Irving's struggles throughout the series, and Jones embraced that role to deliver a playoff-best scoring mark. Jones has scored in double digits in back-to-back contests, setting him up for having a solid role Saturday in Game 6. He's averaging 9.8 points per game in the current postseason run. Rotowire.com Yesterday, 9:05 am
     
  • Efficient off bench in Game 5
    Lively totaled 11 points (3-4 FG, 5-6 FT), 10 rebounds, one assist, one block and one steal in 23 minutes during Wednesday's 104-92 win over the Thunder in Game 5 of the Western Conference Semifinals.

    Advice: Lively has been playing off the bench due to the solid play of Daniel Gafford down low, but the rookie out of Duke made his presence felt on both ends of the court Wednesday. Aside from missing just one shot from the field, Lively was active defensively and recorded the first playoff double-double of his career. Lively is averaging 7.9 points and 6.3 rebounds per game in the postseason, and while he looked very good in this pivotal win, he's not expected to move to a starting role ahead of Game 6 on Saturday. Rotowire.com Yesterday, 9:04 am