The final week of the NBA regular season is here, with the Minnesota Timberwolves concluding their regular season in a big way on April 12 when Kevin Garnett returns to Target Center. ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE!!
As the regular season winds down and the playoffs near, Minnesota is once again in the middle of the Western Conference playoff race, the Wolves clinched a spot in the playoffs on Monday, avoiding the play-in tournament but still hitting the road for the first game of the opening round.
Minnesota is pretty securely in the No. 6 spot in the standings, but could end up going as high as the No. 5 seed to begin the postseason. When it comes to the opponent, there are a trio of teams the Wolves could gave in that first round — one or two of which Minnesota would prefer over the others.
As the final games of the season unfold and as the Wolves keep fighting for playoff seeding, let’s look at a few options for a first-round opponent for Minnesota:
Current Matchup
Denver Nuggets
Denver is currently in the No. 3 seed, meaning it would hold homecourt advantage over Minnesota in the first round of the playoffs. The Nuggets are probably the team the Wolves would like to face least out of these three possibilities, and it would also result in an even tougher path for Minnesota to reach the NBA Finals.
The Wolves would have ideally liked to face the Lakers in the first round and then either Denver or Houston in a potential second-round matchup. But now, Minnesota might have to go through both of them.
The Nuggets have been the hottest team in the NBA over the last 10 games and has been strong most of the second half, resulting in Denver clicking on all cylinders at the best possible time. Over the course of the regular season, Minnesota and Denver faced off four times, with the Nuggets taking the first three games in high-scoring contests and the Wolves claiming victory in the most recent matchup on March 1.
It always seems like it comes down to the Wolves and Nuggets in the playoffs, and it’s looking like we’ll get that matchup right away in the first round if the seeds play out as is.
Other Matchup Possibilities
Los Angeles Lakers
Though there is no such thing as an easy opponent in the NBA, let alone in the playoffs, but the Lakers are the opponent the Wolves should want to have in the first round and could have an easier path to beating rather quickly in the series.
Los Angeles was one of the hottest teams in the league after the All-Star Break up until about a week ago, when the Lakers found out that their top two scorers, Luka Dončić and Austin Reeves would both be out 4-6 weeks with injuries. At the time of those injuries, LA was the third-seed in the West, but have since dropped to No. 4 as of Monday and are in trouble of dropping to No. 5 when the regular season concludes.
The Wolves and Lakers faced off three times this season, with Minnesota winning all three games. However, two of those contests came in late October and the most recent game was March 10, so these teams are much different than they were during those outings. Though both teams are currently banged up, Minnesota should get close to being healthy when the playoffs begin, while Los Angeles will likely still be depleted without two of its stars.
Houston Rockets
The unlikely scenario for Minnesota is facing Houston in the first round, but it is still currently a possibility. And the intriguing part is these two teams will face off for one final time of the regular season on April 10 in Houston. That game could have plenty on the line when it comes to seeding.
The Rockets and Wolves faced off twice so far in the regular season, with both games decided by five or less points. Houston took the first game 110-105 on Jan. 16 in Houston before Minnesota responded with a 110-108 overtime win in Minneapolis on March 25.
The Rockets had a bit of an up-and-down first half of the season, but they have played well since the All-Star Break and have gone on a nice winning streak here as of late. Houston is a team, led by Kevin Durant, that is hitting its stride at just the right time. And those teams are even more dangerous in the opening round of the playoffs.
Regardless of what happens, the postseason is upon us, and one of the best times of the year is about to tip off en route to crowning a champion.