Timberwolves believe they can take down top-seeded Nuggets

Here was Mike Conley's message to his team late Friday night:

It can be done.

The Timberwolves had just finished off their 120-95 blowout of Oklahoma City at Target Center, winning the play-in game that got the team into the playoffs for the second year in a row.

With the game in hand in the fourth quarter, the announced sellout crowd of 19,304 started changing, "We want Denver!"

Well, they got 'em.

The reward for beating the Thunder? A two-day turnaround before the eighth-seeded Wolves play at No. 1 Denver in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs.

A huge challenge, especially without the injured Jaden McDaniels and Naz Reid. But a doable one, Conley said.

He should know. The last time an eighth seed won a playoff series over a top seed was in 2011, when the Memphis Grizzlies knocked off the San Antonio Spurs. The starting point guard on that Grizzlies team?

Conley. And he has been telling his teammates about that, actually, for a few days now.

"I told them, 'Don't go in like it's not going to happen,' " Conley said. "It happens, and I've been a part of it."

Yes. But the Wolves are battling injuries. They will open the series at altitude against a rested Nuggets team, with one day of rest, a flight, no real chance to practice. After Friday's game, coach Chris Finch said he would have to extend his rotation, altitude or not. His staff has been prepping for the possibility of playing Denver for days now. Finch said the coaches would start giving the players the highlights of that research Saturday.

"I don't think we can overcomplicate things right now," Finch said. "We just have to get ready to go, try to get back physically. One advantage of playing in these [play-in] games is that you're pretty battle-ready. I think our competitive edge will be there for sure."

The Wolves will need it. After the game, Conley ticked off what he saw as the team's assets. Good energy. Long, athletic players. Versatility. They will need all that and more.

"We have to play with a sense of urgency," Conley said. "We have to be smart. You have to beat them to win. You can't rely on missed shots. You have to go get it to win it. You have to beat them in every facet of the game to win. But it's possible."

He would know. That 2011 Grizzlies team beat the Spurs in six games, becoming the NBA's fourth No. 8 seed to beat a No. 1 seed in the first round and second to do so in a best-of-seven series.

The key will be navigating the quick turnaround, not dwelling on Friday's game, getting mentally ready for Sunday.

Karl-Anthony Towns said that what the Wolves got through to make the playoffs should give them confidence.

"We should have confidence in everything we do," Towns said. "We're in the playoffs. We feel we knew the work we put in, all the adversity we went through. There is no reason we should step on the court and feel like an eight seed. Any time we step on the court we should feel we have a chance to win. We'll go to Denver Sunday, give it our best shot, and hopefully get a win."

Rudy Gobert felt the same way.

"We are in the standings, but I don't consider us an eight seed," he said. "This is an exciting opportunity. We're not looking at the standings anymore, we're looking at what's in front of us. If we play the right way, there isn't a team in this league we can't beat."