The Minnesota Timberwolves are 1-2 in their three games since Anthony Edwards was sidelined. They got their only win on Friday against a 1-5 Los Angeles Clippers team. After Saturday's loss to the San Antonio Spurs, Minnesota now sits at 4-3 overall.
Just like the Clippers, Minnesota faces several upcoming opponents that are far from title-contending clubs. The Timberwolves have definitely hit a point in the schedule where it eases up. They need to stack wins in games they should win, starting Monday night at home against the Milwaukee Bucks.
Four very winnable games over next 12 days
After the Milwaukee Bucks traded Giannis Antetokounmpo, everyone expected them to be in a rebuilding stage. They are just 1-5 this season and are getting outscored by more than 13 points per game.
That isn’t the only upcoming game for the Wolves against a non-contending team.
On Friday, Minnesota travels to face the 2-4 New Orleans Pelicans. They also have games at the Target Center next Sunday against the 1-5 Utah Jazz and two Saturdays from now against the 1-5 Chicago Bulls.
The Jazz were the only team some predicted could make the playoffs, but they are now without Jaren Jackson Jr. for an extended period. The Bulls have been outscored by a whopping 16 points per game.
That’s four very winnable games even without Edwards. During that stretch, they do face a tough opponent on November 4: the 6-1 Houston Rockets in Houston. On November 12, the Wolves host the Dallas Mavericks, a team that has exceeded expectations so far at 4-2.
Minnesota went a respectable 12-9 last season when Edwards was out of the lineup. Winning at a similar clip this year without their superstar shooting guard should keep the Timberwolves in the top six in the West, or right outside of it.
Chris Finch needs to have his club ready because, at minimum, Minnesota should aim to go at least 4-2 over their next six outings. Even if they have a disappointing showing against one of the four teams they are better than, the Timberwolves should then aim to either pull out a win against Houston or Dallas.
With Edwards expected to be out for a while, the Timberwolves need to stack wins against weaker opponents to stay afloat until Ant-Man returns. They will have plenty of chances to do so over the next couple of weeks. It starts by not falling to .500 and beating an inferior Bucks team on Monday.
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