The Minnesota Timberwolves will enjoy a rather easygoing start to their schedule when the season tips off in October, as they’re slated to go seven games in a row without facing a projected playoff team to start the season.
While this favorable start should give Minnesota time to acclimate, it’s the late season that could end up giving them trouble. Just before the All-Star break, things start to heat up in a major way.
Starting February 7th, the Timberwolves will be faced with frequent road games and difficult travel times to close the season.
They’ll play 17 of their final 26 contests away from Target Center, including four back-to-backs and 16 games against playoff teams from last season. They’ll be playing in 14 back-to-back games overall.
Timberwolves full schedule: pic.twitter.com/mFWylCUNcN
— Brendan Hedtke (@B_HedtkeNBA) August 17, 2022
Tough Stretch Could Have Major Ramifications
This will undoubtedly have a major impact on where Minnesota finishes in the standings at season’s end. It seems logical that with the upgrades they’ve made this offseason, it’s likely for them to finish with a higher seed than they did last year. But this stretch could ultimately make or break their season.
The Timberwolves’ tough road stretch beginning February 7th will start with the second of two matchups with their division rival Denver Nuggets. Winning those clashes will be of the utmost importance to avoid losing a tiebreaker in the standings.
There will be 12 situations throughout the season where Minnesota plays three games in four nights, as well as one scenario where they play five games in seven nights.
With all these circumstances to consider, it will be imperative that the Timberwolves capitalize on their softer start to the schedule and begin the season strong. If they take too much time to adjust to having new players around, it could mean them having to play catch-up as the year progresses.
If Minnesota can play themselves into the top three or four seeds before February, they’ll have a lot less to worry about as the schedule gets more daunting.