Christmas Day showdown, KAT's return and more: 5 compelling Wolves games in December

There will be no shortage of tests for Minnesota in the final month of the year.

Minnesota Timberwolves forward Julius Randle gets a loose ball against the Dallas Mavericks in the third quarter at Target Center in Minneapolis on Oct. 29, 2024. / Brad Rempel-Imagn Images

The days are dwindling in November. Thanksgiving is right around the corner, December is coming before we know it and then the focus will turn to the holidays. And, of course, another interesting month of Minnesota Timberwolves basketball.

The Wolves have had an up and down, but overall solid start to the season at 8-6 entering Thursday night's game at the Toronto Raptors. They've been working to integrate new pieces into the lineup, and there should be only more chemistry building within the team as the months pass. They'll have opportunities to continue building that cohesion in December, and there are plenty of interesting games on the docket in the upcoming month with plenty of intriguing storylines.

Here are five Wolves games we find particularly compelling in the month of December:

Dec. 6, at Golden State Warriors

Minnesota will have a California swing in early December, visiting the Los Angeles Clippers on Dec. 4 before back-to-back games against the Warriors on Dec. 6 and Dec. 8. We could have picked either of those games in this spot, but the trip from Los Angeles to San Francisco, while short, makes this one a little more difficult and thus a little more interesting.

The Warriors are off to a fantastic start to the season at 11-3. Superstar Steph Curry is unsurprisingly leading the charge, averaging a team-leading 23.0 points and 6.5 assists per game, but one of Golden State's biggest strengths is its balance, with five players overall averaging double figures. That includes Buddy Hield (16.5), Andrew Wiggins (16.2), Jonathan Kuminga (13.7) and De'Anthony Melton (10.3), however, Melton has since suffered an unfortunate season-ending injury.

Nevertheless, this figures to be a great game against a balanced opponent featuring one of the NBA's all-time greats.

Dec. 19, vs. New York Knicks

This is a game Wolves fans have likely circled on their calendars: Karl-Anthony Towns' return to Target Center. There's no doubt it'll be an emotional and exciting day for Towns, the Timberwolves and their fans and anyone who follows the NBA.

Much like the Wolves, the Knicks have been navigating the major roster reconstruction to start the season, but have also been off to a solid start at 9-6. Towns has been fantastic in his new home, averaging a team-leading 26.8 points per game and a team-leading 12.2 rebounds per game. His new partner in crime, Jalen Brunson, scores 25.2 points per contest.

There's no doubt Towns will be motivated in his return. There's no doubt Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo will be motivated against their former squad. And there's no doubt this will be a thrilling matchup between two good teams with no shortage of overlap. Coming a week before Christmas, this is an occasion to grab your popcorn and enjoy the show.

Dec. 25, at Dallas Mavericks

What better Christmas present than a rematch of the Western Conference finals?

This is a game can speak for itself. While the Mavericks aren't lighting the world on fire at 8-7, and now they'll have to navigate at least a week without Luka Doncic due to a wrist strain, there's no question the talent and star power on that roster with Doncic and Kyrie Irving. That dynamic duo got the better of the Wolves in the playoffs, and in their first matchup of this season at Target Center on Oct. 29. Minnesota will be hungy for revenge in front of a national audience.

Dec. 27, at Houston Rockets

The Rockets are young, deep, hungry and off to a great start at 11-5. They have six players averaging double figures, led by rising star Jalen Green, who's scoring 19.4 points per game. In addition to Green, there's Alperen Sengun (18.4 points per game), Fred VanVleet (15.8), Jabari Smith Jr. (11.9), Tari Eason (11.7), Dillon Brooks (11.6) and Amen Thompson (10.9).

As of Thursday evening, the Rockets had the third-best defensive rating in the NBA, too, and the Wolves will be visiting Houston just two days after a big Christmas Day showdown. That's a tough swing, and the Rockets are a tough test.

Dec. 31, at Oklahoma City Thunder

The Thunder boast the top-ranked defense in the NBA and the second-best record in the Western Conference at 12-4. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who averages 28.7 points and 6.3 assists per game, is a superstar on a clear title contender.

Even more impressive about the Thunder's hot start is that their biggest free agent acquisition, Isaiah Hartenstein, just made his season debut after recovering from a hand injury. Oklahoma City is already proving it's one of the best teams in the NBA, and the Thunder are only adding more into the fold. Their young guys, like Jalen Williams (21.8 pgg) and Chet Holmgren (16.4) are continuing to improve. You couldn't ask for a better way to end the year than this top-tier matchup.