The Minnesota Timberwolves are on the brink of advancing to the next playoff round, but they'll have to do it short-handed. Just hours before Thursday night's Game 6 tipoff, the team announced that guard Ayo Dosunmu has been ruled out with a right calf injury, adding to an already depleted lineup.

Dosunmu joins Anthony Edwards and Donte DiVincenzo on the sideline, leaving Minnesota without three of its most critical offensive weapons for what could be a series-clinching game. The point guard has been a revelation since joining the Timberwolves at the trade deadline, and his absence is a significant blow—especially after his explosive 43-point performance in Game 4 helped swing the series in Minnesota's favor.

The injury has been nagging Dosunmu for weeks. He'd been playing through right calf soreness throughout the playoff run, missing four of the Timberwolves' final 10 regular-season games, including two of the last three when the sixth seed was already secured. He was listed as questionable heading into Game 6, and the late scratch suggests he tried to push through but couldn't go.

With the Timberwolves holding a 3-2 series lead over the Denver Nuggets, the stakes couldn't be higher. A win tonight sends Minnesota to the second round, where the San Antonio Spurs are already waiting. A loss forces a winner-take-all Game 7 back in Denver on Saturday night. Either way, the Timberwolves will need to dig deep into their bench to find the scoring and playmaking that Dosunmu has provided all postseason.