10 games in 20 days will determine fate of Timberwolves

If they lose in New York, the Timberwolves could wake up Tuesday outside of the top 10.
10 games in 20 days will determine fate of Timberwolves
10 games in 20 days will determine fate of Timberwolves /

Five losses in the last six games has put the Minnesota Timberwolves on the edge of the Western Conference playoff picture and they have 10 games in 20 days to avoid falling off the cliff. 

At 35-37 entering play Monday, Minnesota and the Lakers, also 35-37, occupy the ninth and tenth spots in the playoff race. What's more frightening is that the Utah Jazz (34-36) are technically tied but in 11th place, and the New Orleans Pelicans are just a half-game behind Minnesota and L.A. with a record of 34-37. At the same time, the Timberwolves are just 1.5 games behind sixth place Dallas. 

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Sports Illustrated

It's shaping up to be a crazy final three weeks of the regular season but Minnesota's situation is extra intriguing because Anthony Edwards (sprained right ankle) and Karl-Anthony Towns (right calf strain) are both dealing with injuries. 

Towns has missed 51 consecutive games but appears close to returning, while Edwards, who screamed in pain after violently turning his ankle in last Friday's game against the Bulls, was reportedly out of a walking boot on Sunday and considered day-to-day. 

Do the Wolves get both back and go on a run for a top-six seed to avoid the play-in tournament, or will they stagger Ant and KAT into the lineup – including a minutes restriction for Towns – and keep dancing on the edge of the cliff until the final day of the regular season?

Of the 15 teams in the West, the Timberwolves have the 10th hardest remaining schedule, according to Tankathon. But Oklahoma City has the easiest remaining schedule while the Lakers, Mavericks and Warriors also have statistically easier paths than the Timberwolves. It's far from ideal but this is the position Minnesota is in and as head coach Chris Finch said Friday, "nobody cares" about the hurdles they've had to clear. 

The rubber meets the road with the final 10 games happening in 20 days. 

The next five will be played in a span of 10 days and it will not be easy against five teams that are all on track to make the playoffs, including four on the road including a terrifying trip to Arizona and California next Sunday-Wednesday. 

  • Monday at New York Knicks
  • Wednesday vs. Atlanta Hawks
  • Sunday at Golden State Warriors
  • Monday at Sacramento Kings
  • Next Wednesday at Phoenix Suns

If the Timberwolves don't fall off the cliff in the next 10 days, the final stretch of the season features five more winnable games. Easier said than done, but this isn't the murderer's row Minnesota is facing now. 

  • March 31 vs. Los Angeles Lakers
  • April 2 vs. Portland Trail Blazers
  • April 4 at Brooklyn Nets
  • April 8 at San Antonio Spurs
  • April 9 vs. New Orleans Pelicans

If you're scoreboard watching, here are the games that matter to Minnesota on Monday night. 

  • Timberwolves at Knicks
  • Warriors at Rockets
  • Mavericks at Grizzlies
  • Kings at Jazz

In a perfect world, the Timberwolves win and the Warriors, Mavericks and Jazz all lose. And then on Tuesday night Timberwolves fans will be rooting for the Pelicans to lose to the Spurs and the Clippers to beat the Thunder. And...yeah...this will be the scoreboard watching vibe over these last 20 days. 


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Joe Nelson
JOE NELSON

Title: Bring Me The Sports co-owner, editor Email: joe@bringmethenews.com Twitter: @JoeBMTN Education: Southwest Minnesota State University Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota Expertise: All things Minnesota sports Nelson has covered Minnesota sports for two decades, starting his media career in sports radio. He worked at small market Minnesota stations in Marshall and St. Cloud before joining one of the nation's highest-rated sports stations, KFAN-FM 100.3 in the Twin Cities. There, he was the producer of the top-rated mid-morning sports show with Minnesota Vikings announcer Paul Allen.  His radio experience helped blossom a career as a sports writer, joining Minneapolis-based Bring Me The News in 2011.  Nelson and Adam Uren became co-owners of Bring Me The News in 2018 and have since more than tripled the site's traffic and launched Bring Me The Sports in cooperation with the Sports Illustrated/FanNation umbrella. Nelson has covered the Super Bowl and numerous training camps, NFL combines, the MLB All-Star Game and Minnesota playoff games, in addition to the day-to-day happenings on and off the field of play.  Nelson also has extensive knowledge of non-sports subjects, including news and weather. He works closely with Bring Me The News meteorologist Sven Sundgaard to produce a bevy of weather and climate information for Minnesota readers.  Nelson helped launch and manage the Bring Me The News Radio Network, which provided more than 50 radio stations around Minnesota with daily news, sports and weather reports from 2011-17.