A new era has begun in Minneapolis. After many seasons of repeated disappointments, the Minnesota Timberwolves are finally among the NBA’s elite. After more than 20 years of seasons with fewer than 50 wins, Minnesota won 56 games and reached the Western Conference Finals a season ago.
In the wake of Wolves’ best season in two decades, the The NBA has ensured that all eyes will be on Anthony Edwards’ team next season. The Timberwolves will play 18 nationally televised games next season. From opening night to Christmas Day to Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the Wolves will be constantly broadcast into American homes.
While being televised nationally is a huge feat, it’s up to the Timberwolves to prove they deserve the spotlight. Minnesota’s schedule won’t be easy, as they’ll have to face Western Conference opponents and play in one of the best basketball divisions. However, Wolves have built a perennial title contender and there is no choice but to progress.
As soon as the schedule was released, we analyzed five of the most important games for the Timberwolves. Some of these events come at a crucial time, are played against a talented opponent, or even both.
While it’s not the most important game, as it’s played on opening night, Minnesota will get its first chance to play in the national spotlight against one of the NBA’s most storied franchises: the Los Angeles Lakers. Immediately after the reigning NBA champions wrap up their contest against the New York Knicks, the Wolves will face the Lakers later in the evening.
This will be Minnesota’s first chance to showcase its enduring success. The franchise hasn’t had back-to-back 50-win seasons since the early 2000s. And since 2010, the Wolves have had just two straight 40-win seasons. This case is sure to set the tone for the rest of the season, especially from a television perspective.
A Western Conference semifinal rematch on Christmas Day is exactly what was needed. It’s a cliché to say that the NBA season truly begins on Christmas, but in this case, there’s no better day to remind fans of what a complete team the Wolves have been.
This will also be Minnesota’s second chance to face the Mavericks after first meeting on October 29. While this game will be broadcast on TNT, this matchup is sure to draw millions of viewers with its 2:30 p.m. ET start time. In addition to the enormity of the contest, there’s also a good chance that the Wolves and Mavs will be atop the Western Conference standings when they meet again.
The rivalry between the Timberwolves and Suns seemed one-sided until last season. Phoenix easily beat Minnesota three times in the regular season before the Wolves suffered the unfortunate draw of a first-round matchup with the Suns in the NBA playoffs.
But the playoffs told a different story. The Timberwolves crushed the Suns, winning the series by an average margin of victory of 15 points. This time around, Phoenix is a more complete team. The Suns made two low-key additions to bolster their roster. Phoenix added potential starting point guard Tyus Jones and big-name backup Mason Plumlee to a team that has 49 wins.
This game comes at a crucial point in the season. Will Minnesota experience the same regular-season woes it did last year against Phoenix? Or have the Wolves turned a corner and found a way to beat the Suns in this budding rivalry?
Conference rivals? Check. Away game? Check. Second night of a two-legged game? Check. Second night of a two-legged game back to back against the same team? That’s right. This late February game against the Oklahoma City Thunder has all the ingredients to be one of the most important games of the season.
The Timberwolves will face the Thunder on the second night of a two-game set, the only time this season for Minnesota. After a late start at 8:30 p.m. on the 23rd, Minnesota will essentially follow the Thunder’s plane back to Oklahoma later that night.
Logistics and circumstances aside, this game will certainly have implications for playoff seeding this late in the season. The Thunder and Wolves both won 56-plus games last season. However, while Minnesota made several low-key additions to the roster, Oklahoma City added Isaiah Hartenstein and Alex Caruso to bolster the opening unit. The Timberwolves will face a massive test against an improved Thunder team.
For the second straight season, the Timberwolves will face the Denver Nuggets in a season-ending game that will likely determine the Western Conference seeding order. Last season, the Wolves faced the Nuggets on March 29 and April 10, splitting the two games.
Next season, Minnesota will face Denver on March 10 and April 1. The April 1 matchup is the more important of the two, although both games will be nationally televised. Last year, Minnesota moved into first place in the conference after beating Denver in late March. However, a loss to Denver on the 10th ended Minnesota’s hopes of home-field advantage in the playoffs.
This intra-division matchup could very well go down the same path as last year. In addition to the aftermath of the matchup, both teams will be virtually identical to last season. The Nuggets lost Kentavious Caldwell-Pope in free agency, but other than that departure, they’ll be virtually identical, and the same goes for Minnesota. This rivalry is now a full-fledged one, and with both teams competing for the top spot in the conference, there’s no shortage of fireworks.
