The Minnesota Timberwolves (37-37) need to win games. But to earn a playoff berth, the way is simpler. The Timberwolves simply need to outplay the five teams who pose the biggest threats to their NBA Playoff chances. At one point in the season, the NBA Western Conference was a completely different race. The Utah Jazz and the Oklahoma City Thunder, two young roster teams with plans toward competing in the future, were in the thick of it.
The Portland Trail Blazers stood pat for the most part, and have plummeted since the NBA Trade Deadline with a 5-12 record. The Utah Jazz were quite active at the deadline, and have played to an 8-9 record ever since. Finally, the Thunder have been playing at a 10-10 clip since the trade deadline.
For comparison’s sake, the Minnesota Timberwolves were quite active at the NBA Trade Deadline as well, and have played to a 7-9 record since.
Phoenix Suns (38-35)
The Phoenix Suns reloaded their roster at the NBA Trade deadline and have played to an 8-8 record. Of course, they made NBA headlines when they traded with the Brooklyn Nets to acquire Kevin Durant. But at what cost? Well, a pretty penny, as they added Durant and T.J. Warren for Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson, Jae Crowder, and four future first-round draft picks. Unlike the Minnesota Timberwolves trade for Rudy Gobert, both Cam Johnson and Mikal Bridges are lighting it up for the Brooklyn Nets.
The Suns are stuck in a three-game losing streak, with a rather formidable 10 games remaining on their schedule. They host the Minnesota Timberwolves on March 29, a game with huge repercussions for both teams. Before they face the Timberwolves, they must get past the Sacramento Kings, the Philadelphia 76ers, and the Utah Jazz. The Suns appear to be a shoo-in for the NBA Playoffs, but at what seeding is still very unclear.
LA Clippers (39-35)
The LA Clippers have feasted a bit on some of the less competitive NBA teams, and have just eight games remaining on their schedule. While they do not face the Minnesota Timberwolves, they will have a say in how the NBA Western Conference turns out. With two games against the Memphis Grizzlies, two games against the New Orleans Pelicans, a game against the Los Angeles Lakers, and finally a game against the Phoenix Suns, the Clippers’ success or failure the rest of the way can pave the road for the Timberwolves, or set up speed bumps to the NBA Playoffs.
The Clippers signed veteran PG Russell Westbrook and have played to a 6-7 record since adding him to the roster. The Minnesota Timberwolves faced the Clippers just one time since the NBA Trade Deadline, a game played at Target Center on February 28, 2023. On that night, a very shorthanded Timberwolves team turned back the Clippers, extending their losing streak to three games in what would eventually be a five-game skid. The Clippers have since rebounded but must continue to find success against a difficult schedule.
Golden State Warriors (39-36)
The Golden State Warriors have posed quite a challenge to the short-handed Minnesota Timberwolves all season, and they will face off one final time this season. The Warriors were not one of the most active teams at the NBA Trade Deadline but did engage in a 4-team trade that added versatile wing Gary Payton II, a player who competed on the Warriors roster from 2020-22.
Payton underwent core muscle surgery in the offseason, and his recovery sidelined him until January 2023. He subsequently was injured again and has not competed for the Warriors yet since the NBA Trade Deadline. But a recent positive medical checkup could change all of that.
Gary Payton II could join the Warriors lineup as soon as Sunday vs. Minnesota, team says.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) March 23, 2023
It’s clear that the Minnesota Timberwolves fourth and final matchup with the Warriors this season is as close to a must-win game as the team will face in the regular season. And with a mere eight games remaining on their regular season schedule, the Timberwolves need to put a game in their loss column. The Warriors just defeated the Philadelphia 76ers, and must now face the Timberwolves, the New Orleans Pelicans, the Denver Nuggets, and the Sacramento Kings. If they win just one of those games, they are all but assured of a .500 record to finish out, and an NBA Playoff berth
Dallas Mavericks (36-38)
The Dallas Mavericks continue to be one of the more puzzling NBA teams in the 2022-23 NBA season. They seemed to be cruising on their way to another NBA Playoff appearance at the NBA Trade Deadline, but since that moment this team has played to an underwhelming 6-10 record. That has shocked some, as the Mavericks pried Kyrie Irving away from the Brooklyn Nets with a package that included:
Spencer Dinwiddie, Dorian Finney-Smith, 2027 NBA Draft Round 2 pick, 2029 NBA Draft Rounds 1-2 picks. In return, the Mavericks acquired Kyrie Irving and Markieff Morris.
The Timberwolves faced and defeated the new-and-improved Mavericks roster on Monday, February 13, 2023, in Dallas by a score of 124-121.
Since the trade deadline, and for the Mavericks’ remaining final eight games, it has been tough sledding. The Mavericks had a lengthy winning streak from late December 2022 through the first week of January 2023. The Mavericks’ front office may have wanted to bolster their roster to tune it up in time for the NBA Playoffs, but that strategy may have backfired and taken them out of the postseason picture altogether.
LA Lakers (367-37)
The Los Angeles Lakers took drastic steps to retrofit their roster with young playmakers, and so far that gambit appears to have paid off. While their headliner in the three-team trade that involved the Minnesota Timberwolves and Utah Jazz is former Timberwolves PG D’Angelo Russell, Russell has been one of the least contributors to their recent run to the NBA Playoffs. Since the NBA Trade Deadline, the Los Angeles Lakers have played to an impressive 12-6 record.
Of those games, D’Angelo Russell has competed in just 11 games, games with a 7-4 record. Former Timberwolves players who were acquired from the Utah Jazz, Malik Beasley, and Jarred Vanderbilt, have competed in all 17 games. But the headliner right now on the Lakers roster is shooting guard sensation, Austin Reaves, who is competing in his second NBA season and is truly having a monster March. For the month, he is averaging 18.5 PPG, 3.2 RPG, and 5.6 APG.
The Lakers have eight games remaining in their 2022-23 NBA season, and on paper, they appear to have one of the easiest finales of any team on this list. The Lakers face the Minnesota Timberwolves once, the LA Clippers once, and the Phoenix Suns once. If the Lakers avoid any unexpected losing streaks, they could be the stiffest competition that the Minnesota Timberwolves must outpace through the end of this season.
New Orleans Pelicans (36-37)
The New Orleans Pelicans were another team that seemed to have post-season play well in hand, with a record of 29-28. Since the deadline, they have played to a 7-8 record, and are fighting to fend off being eliminated from postseason discussions.
Surprisingly, the Pelicans made an under-the-radar move at the NBA Trade Deadline, acquiring Josh Richardson from the San Antonio Spurs for Devonte’ Graham and four second-round draft picks.
The Pelicans are trading Devonte' Graham and four second-round picks to San Antonio, sources said. https://t.co/4DegECWtKW
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 9, 2023
While I wouldn’t call Richardson a bust, his production through 14 games for the Pelicans has been less than expected. In fact, he has only been a minimal improvement over Devonte Graham, and that has hindered the Pelicans’ progress since the deadline. The Pelicans have a rough final chapter to their last nine games of the 2022-23 NBA season, with two games against the LA Clippers, and a game against the Golden State Warriors, the Memphis Grizzlies, the Denver Nuggets, and the Sacramento Kings, before their final game against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Recapping Timberwolves trail to the NBA Playoffs
The best-case scenario for the Minnesota Timberwolves right now is to get hot and win out the rest of the season. The polar-opposite worst-case scenario for the Minnesota Timberwolves is to go ice cold and lose out. It’s a safe bet to expect the Timberwolves to finish out somewhere between those two extremes.
The Timberwolves’ final eight opponents are evenly split between teams currently over .500, and teams under .500. While that may be promising ground to cover, you may be surprised at why. The Timberwolves have competed better against good teams this season than against lesser competitive teams.
We’ll soon get to see just how badly the Minnesota Timberwolves want to compete in the NBA Playoffs. Even with just eight games remaining on their schedule, if they win them all they are in the postseason. With Karl-Anthony Towns back and playing, and hope for Anthony Edwards to return soon, the Timberwolves will have their best rotations just in time to make a playoff push and perhaps compete in the NBA Playoffs for their second consecutive season.
Too much pressure? This is nothing close to the pressure on any team in the best-of-seven NBA Playoffs format. Time to get Timberwolves tough, and start winning some games.