The Minnesota Timberwolves won’t learn their full schedule until later this week, but the first leaks came trickling through on Tuesday morning, including a Christmas night game against the Oklahoma City Thunder. While this marks the third straight year the Wolves will play on Christmas, it will be their first time hosting a Christmas game.
Going back in Timberwolves history, it was once unfathomable to believe they could get a Christmas game – let alone host one. But this marquee matchup against OKC shows just how far the franchise has come.
Timberwolves’ Christmas game gives them a rare spotlight
If you’re a newer Timberwolves fan, you’ve probably heard about the dark days of the franchise. They’re the franchise that couldn’t win with Kevin Garnett. They’re the team that passed on Steph Curry twice. They went all out to keep Joe Smith, which ruined the KG era. And then shortly after breaking their playoff drought, Jimmy Butler stopped short of setting Target Center in flames on the way out of town.
While Garnett starred for the Wolves in the 2000s, he didn’t play in a Christmas game until he was a member of the Boston Celtics in 2008. Minnesota didn’t even play on Christmas until a matchup with the Thunder in 2016, and in their other four games, which were all on the road, they never felt like a prime attraction.
Even with Anthony Edwards turning the franchise around, they’ve never had a home Christmas game. As such, this is a real milestone for the franchise.
Last year’s 142-138 overtime loss to the Denver Nuggets may have been one of the best games on last year’s slate. But it didn’t start until 9:30 p.m. CT, meaning most of the country was likely in an egg nog-induced slumber by the time the game tipped off.
There’s an even greater probability that the Wolves may have never played on Christmas if the NBA didn’t permanently adopt a five-game slate beginning in 2008, mainly because there wasn’t much to draw casual fans into their game.
Looking back at the franchise’s history, that makes sense. The Wolves made the playoffs for eight straight seasons from 1996 to 2004 but only made it out of the first round once (2003-04). When they finally got over the hump, it was a one-year window as Minnesota didn’t return to the playoffs until the 2017-18 season, when they were bounced in the first round by the Houston Rockets.
It wasn’t that the Wolves didn’t have marketable stars as Garnett was followed by Kevin Love and Love was succeeded by Andrew Wiggins and Karl-Anthony Towns. But the Wolves were kind of just there until they made another trip to the playoffs in the 2021-22 season.
The past five years are likely what brought a Christmas game to Minnesota. While they lost in the first round to the Memphis Grizzlies (2021-22) and Nuggets (2022-23) to begin the stretch, they broke through with back-to-back runs to the Western Conference Finals during the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons. And while they didn’t make it a third straight season, they have become a team that most fans want to see.
The Timberwolves have become a must-see attraction
This brings us to the current state of the Timberwolves. Minnesota isn’t in the same tier as the Thunder or the San Antonio Spurs, but they’re knocking on the door after the past three seasons.
In addition, the Wolves lost a lot this offseason, trading Julius Randle to the Brooklyn Nets and Naz Reid to the Charlotte Hornets. But they also created plenty of intrigue, acquiring LaMelo Ball and even catching the attention of LeBron James before he signed with the Philadelphia 76ers.
With that, fans want to tune in and see what happens. Can Anthony Edwards and Ball be more than just a highlight-reel duo? Will Jaden McDaniels thrive in a larger offensive role? Will Rudy Gobert become an even more dominant post presence in addition to his defensive prowess? And will Chris Finch have the answers to pull everything together?
All of those storylines will determine how the Timberwolves season will go, and it will play out when they host the Thunder on a day that’s the pinnacle of the NBA’s regular season. (Insert your apologies to the Emirates NBA Cup here.)
The 2026-27 season won’t be decided on Christmas Day. But it should be another reminder of how far the Timberwolves have come this decade.
Add us as a preferred source on Google