On his podcast, The Ryen Russillo Show, Russillo gave his thoughts on all 30 NBA teams on the most recent episode. When he got to the Minnesota Timberwolves, Russillo brought up a number that concerns him.
“There’s an alarming number here. I always like to look at records against over .500 teams…Minnesota as of today is 12-13," Russillo said,
While it’s true they are currently below .500 against winning teams, that number doesn’t tell the whole story being the Timberwolves have turned it around after starting 0-7 against teams over .500.
The Timberwolves have flipped their early-season narrative
Four of the five teams that are ahead of the Timberwolves right now have winning records against winning teams (the Los Angeles Lakers are 11-13, the Denver Nuggets barely do at 13-12). Playing well against the better teams during the regular season usually puts those squads firmly in the mix as title contenders.Â
If you recall, the narrative surrounding Minnesota at the start of the season was their inability to beat the better teams. Sure, they nearly always handled the lesser teams as they were supposed to, but they just couldn’t find a way to come out on top against the contending ones.
Well, after losing their first seven contests against teams that are over .500 at the All-Star break this season, they are 12-6 since. The Timberwolves have won their last two meetings against both the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs, the top-two seeds at the moment in the Western Conference. Other teams that Minnesota has defeated since that 0-7 start are the Boston Celtics, Golden State Warriors (twice), New York Knicks, Miami Heat (twice), Cleveland Cavaliers, and Toronto Raptors.
As a matter of fact, that early-season narrative has completely flipped. Minnesota has taken the L in some recent games against inferior teams such as the New Orleans Pelicans, Memphis Grizzlies, and Utah Jazz. Despite those hiccups, the Wolves are still 22-9 against teams under .500.
Something that is true early in the season doesn’t always mean that it will remain the case throughout its entirety. That's part of what makes a lengthy regular season so fun. Yes, the Timberwolves have a (slightly) losing record against teams over .500, but that is heavily due to the start of the year.
Minnesota’s next chance against a winning team comes on Sunday when they face the Philadelphia 76ers at the Target Center. Currently the sixth seed, but just 1.5 games out of third, winning these challenging games will go a long way in deciding where they are seeded entering the playoffs.