Timberwolves’ Chris Finch Injured In Sideline Collison

Sunday night in the 2024 NBA Playoffs was an exciting one for the Minnesota Timberwolves. They announced their presence as true contenders in the Western Conference, knocking off the Phoenix Suns via a sweep in their first-round series.

It was a truly dominant performance at times for Minnesota, with Anthony Edwards taking the torch and running with it as the potential new face of the NBA. He had some incredible highlight moments in the four games, helping his team advance to Round 2.

However, there was one terrible outcome in Game 4 on Sunday night. Head coach Chris Finch did not leave the game unscathed, as he was injured late in the fourth quarter in a collision on the sidelines.

With 1:40 remaining, point guard Mike Conley was dribbling up the court. He was forced out of bounds by Devin Booker, who was whistled for a foul. The contact sent Conley into the sideline, where he collided with Finch.

Finch went down, clutching at his right knee. He needed assistance getting off the court and into the locker room. It was revealed that he suffered a devastating injury, as he ruptured his patellar tendon.

To exit the arena, Finch needed to exit the arena on a cart and did not speak to the media after the game. Assistant coach Micah Nori fulfilled the media obligations after the game, sharing an update on Finch’s status.

“He’s obviously in good spirits and so are the guys,” Nori said.

The Timberwolves held a 117-113 lead when Finch was injured. Luckily it didn’t derail them, as they held on for a 122-116 victory, advancing to the Western Conference semifinals.

“Everybody has their role, everybody has each other’s back,” Nori said. “I know it sounds corny, but it’s just next man up, even with the coaching staff.

In the next round, the Timberwolves will face the winner in the series between the Denver Nuggets and Los Angeles Lakers. Denver currently holds a 3-1 series lead heading into Game 5 on Monday night.

Given the severity of the injury, Finch is going to be limited in some capacity on the sidelines, should he even be able to attend the games. If he cannot, it will be Nori taking over as the acting head coach until he returns.