Minnesota Timberwolves schedule release: Key dates and quirks
By Ben Beecken
The Minnesota Timberwolves have released their 2021-22 schedule.
Believe it or not, we’re only two months away from the start of regular-season games, and there are plenty of other notable things about the release as well…
Minnesota Timberwolves schedule release: Key early-season dates
The Wolves open their schedule at home, hosting the Houston Rockets on Wednesday, Oct. 20. It’s a similar vibe to last year, when Minnesota hosted the Detroit Pistons on a Wednesday to start the season; last year’s Pistons and this year’s Rockets were/are expected to be among the worst teams in the league.
Strangely, the Wolves open with a three-game homestand, as they’ll take on the New Orleans Pelicans twice in a row, on Oct. 23 and 25. The revamped Pels will be a good test for the Wolves, but they’ll be important early games, too, as New Orleans is expected to be one of the teams the Wolves may be battling with for a spot near the bottom of the Western Conference playoff picture.
From there, it’s off to Milwaukee for an early-season challenge against the defending champion Bucks.
But then it’s right back home for four consecutive home games. That means that seven of the Wolves’ first eight games will come at Target Center. Of those seven, only three of the contests will be played against playoff teams from last year: one against the Denver Nuggets and two against the LA Clippers.
Minnesota Timberwolves schedule release: Additional schedule quirks
In addition to playing seven of the first eight games at home, the Wolves will ultimately play 11 of their first 16 games at Target Center.
From Nov. 22 to Dec. 3, the Wolves will play five of seven games on the road. They’ll have a similar stretch from Dec. 31 to Jan. 13, the Wolves will play seven of eight games away from Target Center.
Minnesota will enjoy three four-game homestands over the course of the season, and there is one non-NBA TV national television game scheduled: a Jan. 27 date against Andrew Wiggins and the Golden State Warriors.
As pointed out in the Wolves schedule release on their website, they’ve won five consecutive home openers and eight of their last nine dating back to 2012-13. It doesn’t seem like it, of course, but there you have it.
Next. Wolves' interest in Ben Simmons continues. dark
We’ll break down the schedule in a few additional ways this weekend. Stay tuned.