Timberwolves coach Chris Finch to undergo surgery after sideline collision

Nov 22, 2021; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch in the second half against the New Orleans Pelicans at the Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports

The Minnesota Timberwolves advanced to the second round of the playoffs when they completed their sweep of the Phoenix Suns on Sunday, but they may have to begin their next series without their head coach.

Timberwolves coach Chris Finch suffered a knee injury during Sunday’s game when Mike Conley Jr. ran into Finch on the sideline late in the third quarter. Finch immediately grabbed his right knee and appeared to be in significant pain. You can see a video of the play here.

Finch will now have to undergo surgery to repair a patellar tendon injury, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Ramona Shelburne. It is unclear if he will be on the sideline for Game 1 of Minnesota’s Western Conference semifinals series against the Denver Nuggets, which is on Saturday.

If Finch is not cleared to be on the sideline on Saturday, assistant coach Micah Nori will act as the head coach. ESPN reports that Finch would likely communicate to the bench from the locker room.

Finch is expected to be cleared to travel to Denver on Friday either way, but it remains to be seen if he can coach from his usual spot.

Finch is in his fourth season as the head coach of the Timberwolves. The team lost in the first round of the playoffs the last two years.