Yes, the Minnesota Timberwolves getting a win on Friday night to put an end to their three-game losing streak was nice to see. Taking it with a grain of salt is understandable, though, given that it came against a Golden State Warriors team without Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, and Jimmy Butler (also saw three more players leave via injury during the game).
It doesn’t necessarily take the bad taste out of fans’ mouths from the previous three non-competitive losses that came by a combined 66 points. What would change the current perception around the team would be a win on Sunday afternoon on the road against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Sam Amick of The Athletic provided a quote after Friday's game from Rudy Gobert about Sunday's matchup. Gobert said,
"It's a great, great challenge for us, a great opportunity. I think OKC is a great example of what we want to be in terms of their mindset. I'm not talking about talent. I'm just talking about their mindset of just giving yourself away to the team, and just letting the game take care of itself. They're a team that plays hard every night, regardless of who is on the floor, and for 48 minutes. And I think that is exactly the test that we need, so I'm excited about that."
Minnesota can win season series with a victory
This season, the Timberwolves are actually 2-1 against the Thunder. Both of the wins came at home.Â
Winning the season series with the defending champions, and the team with the best record in the league at 52-15, would be an impressive feat. Minnesota is catching the Thunder at a time when OKC has won its last seven outings.
Of course, the two squads met up in last year’s Western Conference finals. The Thunder made fairly easy work of the Wolves, winning in five games. Only one of their victories was close as they won Games 1, 2, and 5 by a combined 71 points.
Minnesota has done a wonderful job of limiting those outside of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in the three meetings this season. SGA has averaged 35 points on excellent efficiency against the Timberwolves, but even so, the Timberwolves have kept the Thunder from scoring at their normal rate. OKC is averaging 118.6 points per game on the year, but just 110.3 against the Wolves.Â
The hope is that Anthony Edwards will be available. He played on Friday despite being listed as questionable with right knee soreness. All Ant-Man did was score 42 points, but he was seen holding his knee in the fourth quarter. He is once again listed as questionable.
I have to believe he will do everything in his power to take the floor for a nationally televised game against the defending champs.