MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) – Thursday has a chance to be a historic night for the Minnesota professional sports scene.

The Timberwolves and Wild both have home playoff games, both lead 3-2 in their best-of-seven series and each can advance on the same night with a victory. If the Timberwolves and Wild both lose, they had back on the road for decisive Game 7s.

Timberwolves have 2 chances to close out Nuggets

The backstory:

The Minnesota Timberwolves host the Denver Nuggets at 8:30 p.m. Thursday in Game 6 on ESPN, with a chance to end Denver’s season. The Timberwolves had a 3-1 lead, but lost Game 5 125-113.

The Timberwolves committed 25 turnovers, and allowed 125 points without Anthony Edwards and Donte DiVincenzo.

Chris Finch says Timberwolves had ‘soft mentality’ in Game 5

The Minnesota Timberwolves practiced Wednesday at Mayo Clinic Square ahead of Game 6 against the Nuggets. Chris Finch spoke with reporters and said the team had a soft mentality that led to their Game 5 loss in Denver. The Timberwolves can close out the series with a win Thursday night.

“I thought we had a soft mentality,” Timberwolves’ coach Chris Finch said after Wednesday’s practice at Mayo Clinic Square.

Aside from the turnovers, Jaden McDaniels had two early fouls as the Timberwolves started slow. Nuggets’ role players Spencer Jones and Cam Johnson also combined for 38 points.

Game 6 – What’s at stake

Why you should care:

The Timberwolves have another chance to eliminate the Nuggets, but this time can do so on their home floor in front of what will be a raucous crowd at Target Center. If they win, the Timberwolves advance to the Western Conference Semifinals for the third straight year.

If they lose, they head back to Denver for a Game 7. The team knows what’s at stake.

“We’ve got to come out, have fun, stay together. That’s what I told the guys. The game is going to swing, that’s basketball. It’s all about staying together and sticking to the game plan. I’m excited to play in front of the best fans in the world,” guard Ayo Dosunmu said.

“Obviously a lot is at stake, but it’s basketball. This is the moment you dream about,” center Rudy Gobert said. “It’s huge having the home crowd, but it’s basketball. At the end of the day, it’s on us to bring it.”

If the Timberwolves advance, they’ll face the San Antonio Spurs, who eliminated the Portland Trail Blazers Tuesday night.

Wild host Dallas Stars for Game 6 Thursday

Dig deeper:

Over in St. Paul, the Minnesota Wild host the Dallas Stars in Game 6 Thursday night at Grand Casino Arean. Puck drop is set for just after 6:30 p.m., and the game will be broadcast on TNT as well as FanDuel Sports Network.

Minnesota Wild can eliminate Dallas Stars Thursday night

The Minnesota Wild has a 3-2 lead over the Dallas Stars in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and can close out the series with a win in Game 6 Thursday night at Grand Casino Arena. Wild coach John Hynes spoke to reporters on Wednesday ahead of the pivotal game.

The Wild can end the Stars’ season with a win, after earning a 4-2 win at Dallas in Game 5. Michael McCarron scored what ended up being the game-winning goal at the 7:47 mark of the third period, which gave the Wild a 3-1 lead. Up 3-2, Kirill Kaprizov sealed the game with an empty-net goal.

Does the Wild’s mentality or approach change with a potential closeout game Thursday night? John Hynes says no.

“I just think it’s the mindset we’ve had as a group – you take each game for what it is. Each game has been highly-competitive, tomorrow night isn’t going to be any different,” Hynes said.

What’s next:

If the Wild lose Game 6, they will head back to Dallas for a decisive Game 7. The Wild is looking for its first playoff series win since 2015. If they advance, they face the Colorado Avalanche.

MISSOURI CITY, Texas (KTRK) — Authorities say police officers busted a major automotive chop shop operation in Missouri City on Tuesday, discovering multiple stolen vehicles and parts.

According to the Missouri City Police Department, officers responded to a “suspicious vehicle call” at a local business on Tuesday at 12:04 p.m., where a neighbor reported that a box truck without license plates dropped off car parts.

Officers said they arrived at the scene and saw the box truck leaving the property located at 2105 Brown St. Authorities said that officers conducted a traffic stop on the truck, and the driver of the vehicle, Francisco Tivar Reyes, was arrested on a warrant for unauthorized use of a motor vehicle and possession of stolen vehicle parts.

Officials said that patrol officers spoke with the business owner and asked about the recent delivery of car parts. Investigators said they did a check of a VIN number on a pickup truck on the property and confirmed that it was stolen.

A total of six vehicles on the property were confirmed to be stolen, according to officials. The owner of the business, Mohammed Fattoe, was arrested for possession of stolen property, police said.

Investigators said they returned to the site on Wednesday to resume the investigation. With the assistance of the Fort Bend County District Attorney’s Office, a search warrant was obtained, and the business property was searched for additional stolen property, investigators said, adding that a total of ten vehicles and vehicle parts were confirmed by multiple agencies.

SkyEye13 flew above the scene on Wednesday morning, capturing images of authorities investigating the property and the multiple vehicles and car parts.

Missouri City police said the investigation is still ongoing, with search warrants on the property being executed to identify additional stolen vehicles and parts.

Authorities added that multiple agencies are working together on the investigation, including the Houston Police Department, Fort Bend County Sheriff’s Department, Fort Bend County District Attorney’s Office, National Insurance Crime Bureau, and the Texas Department of Public Safety.

Former University of Nebraska President Ted Carter tried to get a job at NU for a woman he later admitted he was having an “inappropriate relationship” with, according to a records request obtained Wednesday by Nebraska Public Media News.

Carter last month resigned from his position as Ohio State University president, which he held since January 2024, because of “an inappropriate relationship with someone seeking public resources to support her personal business.” Carter abruptly left for OSU after leading NU from 2020 to 2023.

Records made available by NU show that in April 2023, Carter requested the same woman, who has been identified as podcaster Krisanthe Vlachos, be considered for a position at the National Strategic Research Institute that operates for the NU system in Omaha. University leaders told Nebraska Public Media News last week that they would review internal records after the OSU report was published.

NU emails show Carter sent Vlachos’ resume to Rick Evans, executive director of the National Strategic Research Institute and a retired major general in the U.S. Air Force. Evans responded, saying “her skills are probably best aligned to the Contracts and Business Operations Coordinator position you approved us to hire.”

He went on to say the position would be based in Omaha, and thanked Carter for the tip. Carter responded that he believed Vlachos “is more than willing to relocate to Omaha.” It’s not known if Vlachos was ever considered for that job or any other one at NU.

Carter also forwarded Vlachos’ resume to a member of the University of Nebraska Foundation on May 10, 2023.

The next time there was email communication between Carter and Vlachos via the university email system was July 2023. It was a quick note from Carter saying, “Sorry to be out of touch for a bit.” He then gave his phone number, which was redacted.

The university said in a statement that it does not see the need for further review.

“The University of Nebraska has reviewed emails and other records potentially relevant to the report released by the Ohio State University earlier this month,” the statement said. “From this review, several emails were discovered and have been shared upon request from media. The university does not see need for further review at this time.”

Carter appeared to have first met Vlachos while at NU during a Veterans in Energy forum in Washington, D.C. in March 2023, the OSU report said. The report further details that while at OSU, Vlachos had “extraordinary access” to Carter, including at least 24 meetings with him and five trips together.

The report also said at least 14 OSU employees received direct requests from Carter to assist Vlachos. One employee who did help was Chris Kabourek, former NU chief financial officer and former NU interim president.

Kabourek had left NU for Ohio State in the fall of 2024. Kabourek resigned earlier this month and has since been hired as vice president and chief financial officer at West Virginia University.