August officially marks the dog days of the NBA offseason. Thankfully, the NBA schedule release in mid-August guarantees some news. Of course, Christmas is one of the marquee days on the NBA calendar.
As Anthony Edwards has ascended into superstardom, the Minnesota Timberwolves have become a staple of the Christmas Day schedule. And with LaMelo Ball now in Minnesota, that trend is primed to continue.
With this in mind, here's my ranking of the top five possible Christmas Day games for the Timberwolves.
5. Houston Rockets: "We got Jaden McDaniels"
The Houston Rockets' lack of an established rivalry with the Timberwolves bumps them down the list. Still, they are two teams in the same tier of fringe Western Conference contenders. Furthermore, Edwards' famous "They got KD, but we got Jaden McDaniels" quote makes any matchup involving the Wolves and Kevin Durant fun (even if this quote came during Durant's Phoenix days).
Last regular season, we saw one of the most chaotic games of the season between these two squads. In March, the Timberwolves pulled off a two-point win in overtime, coming back from 13 points in overtime without Ant-Man. This game is also memorable for some brutal officiating.
From a stylistic standpoint, this matchup would be intriguing. The Rockets' frontcourt could pose some challenges for the Timberwolves. But can Houston keep up with Minnesota's shooting? Overall, I'm not expecting a Wolves-Rockets game on Christmas, but I wouldn't be upset if that's what we got.
4. Los Angeles Lakers: Ant and Luka meet again
The Timberwolves' 2025 first-round matchup with the Los Angeles Lakers was pretty memorable. Despite being the underdogs as the No. 6 seed, Minnesota dismantled LA in five games. Beyond that, any matchup that features Ant and Luka Doncic is must-see TV.
Both teams also enter the season in a similar spot as fringe contenders, yet ones that pursued offseason changes. From an X's and O's perspective, seeing how the Lakers guard Ant with an upgraded roster around him would be interesting. Likewise, seeing whether McDaniels can continue to have success against Luka would be intriguing.
These two teams haven't played on Christmas before (though Edwards and Doncic have after their 2024 WCF showdown). Regardless, to continue this player rivalry on a big stage, it wouldn't shock me if we see Wolves-Lakers on Christmas.
3. Oklahoma City Thunder: Are the Timberwolves ready to take the next step?
The Oklahoma City Thunder dismantled the Timberwolves in just five games during the Western Conference finals in 2025. However, these teams have had some great battles in the regular season. They've split the season series in both of the past two seasons, and each of the Wolves' losses has been a single-digit game.
Edwards and the rest of the squad always rise to the occasion against the Thunder, and it's clear these teams don't like each other. Similarly, Edwards and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander make for a fantastic star battle. For my money, they're the best two perimeter scorers in the league. But they do so in different ways, with Edwards being more of a 3-point sniper, and SGA living at the line and mid-range. This matchup would surely guarantee some Christmas Day fireworks.
Seeing how the Wolves' new perimeter identity fares against the Thunder's elite size would be super intriguing. Furthermore, this would be a perfect opportunity for the Wolves to make a statement about their contention chances.
A rematch of the WCF between the Thunder and San Antonio Spurs feels like a layup, so I'm not counting on a Wolves-Thunder showdown. Nevertheless, this was a Christmas matchup last year, and if the NBA wants to change things up, the Wolves would be a logical opponent for OKC.
2. San Antonio Spurs: Revenge is a dish best served on Christmas
Who doesn't love a good Christmas revenge story? In the second-round, the Spurs sent the Timberwolves packing in six games, with three blowout wins. Regardless, the Timberwolves' increased shooting and playmaking could make them more competitive against the Spurs. Plus, the Wolves split the regular season series with the Spurs.
The Timberwolves will surely have their first matchup with the Spurs circled in red. And Minnesota has been known to pull off some upsets, which could set the stage for an epic Christmas Day revenge game.
Edwards and Victor Wembanyama are two of the most exciting players in the league. As Minnesota tries to catch up to San Antonio, it would make sense to prioritize this matchup, and maybe the league chooses to do so on Christmas.
1. Denver Nuggets: Another chapter in a fantastic rivalry
While all these matchups would be great, the Timberwolves' biggest rival remains the Denver Nuggets.
After the first-round series in April, this rivalry might have reached another level. McDaniels famously called the entire Nuggets team bad defenders. He and Jokic also got into an altercation at the end of Game 4 after McDaniels took a layup when the game was already over. These teams have played in three out of the last four playoffs, and they've had a ton of classic regular season games, including on Christmas last year.
So yeah, it's safe to say there's no love lost. Not to beat a dead horse, but seeing how the new-look Timberwolves handle the Nuggets frontcourt size would be exciting. Whenever these teams play, it's a must-watch game, and thus it would make sense to prioritize this matchup on a national stage.
All things considered, this would be a perfect Christmas game, and the only reason it might not happen is since we saw it last year.
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