At this point, the Minnesota Timberwolves are barely crawling past the finish line into the playoffs. Anthony Edwards is hurt. Jaden McDaniels is hurt, and Naz Reid has been available, but he's clearly laboring as well. As it stands, per Basketball Reference, the Timberwolves have a 97.3 percent chance to finish sixth, the same spot that they finished last year.
It's looking like they're going to heavily manage Edwards down the stretch, prioritizing the best possible health going into the playoffs instead of fighting for the slim chance to maybe catch fifth in the standings. This will lead them to play the third seed, and there is one extremely favorable matchup and one extremely-not favorable matchup.
Throughout the season, the Timberwolves have been highly erratic and oftentimes don't take lesser opponents seriously and/or give away big leads. Perhaps this will secretly benefit the Wolves, as it could lead to a matchup with the snake-bitten Los Angeles Lakers. Conversely, if the Denver Nuggets catch up to the Lakers, the Wolves' inconsistent play could end up setting them up for a nightmare matchup.
The Timberwolves are praying that the Lakers hold onto the third seed
With the recent injury bug that has struck Crypto.com Arena, every team in the Western Conference is itching for the chance to play the Lakers. Luka Doncic suffered a hamstring injury that has him out indefinitely. There's a slight chance he plays in the first round, but hamstrings aren't an injury to be taken lightly.
They also lost Austin Reaves to an oblique injury. He's slated to miss four-to-six weeks. They still have LeBron James, but you don't trust anyone else on that roster to be able to create their own shot, especially in a playoff setting. The Timberwolves would love a chance to be able to play a team that's even more beat up than they are.
Barring miracle comebacks from Doncic and Reaves, this Lakers team is likely a super easy out, and if Jaden McDaniels still isn't ready from his knee Injury, and Edwards needs a minutes limit with his, the Wolves can probably still take care of business even without those two at full capacity.
If the Nuggets jump to three, the Timberwolves may be in trouble
The Lakers are hanging on to the third seed by a thread, and the Nuggets are right on their tail. The issue: The Nuggets are healthy, whilst the Lakers are far from it. If I were a betting man, I'd say the Nuggets leapfrog the Lakers and secure the third seed, and with that, a date with the Timberwolves in round one.
This is not ideal for the beat-up Wolves. Nikola Jokic is an MVP, and probably the best player in the world, and Jamal Murray is having a career year. If Jaden McDaniels can't go for round one, the Wolves will have absolutely nobody for Murray (unless Chris Finch pulls the unlikely Jaylen Clark card).
The Nuggets are a machine on offense, and while their defense isn't good, they are capable of getting stops when it matters. A healthy Wolves team has the firepower to hang with Denver, but that isn't who they are right now.
If this is indeed the matchup, a loss is likely, which could lead to a lot of change in the coming offseason.