Ranking Timberwolves' five toughest games in March

Here are some games to look out for as the calendar flips to another month.

Spring is in the air. The calendar is already flipping to March, which means it’s time to rank the Timberwolves’ five toughest games for the month.

The Timberwolves went 4-1 in the games that we ranked as the five toughest for the team in February and are 7-3 in the month overall with one more game left to play before the calendar officially flips to March. Minnesota’s efforts over the course of the month kept the team atop the Western Conference standings as the postseason inches closer and closer.

So, without further ado, here’s a look at the Wolves’ five toughest games in March:

5. vs. Los Angeles Clippers, Sunday, March 3, 2:30 p.m.

The Clippers remain within reach of the Timberwolves for the top spot in the Western Conference standings, sitting just three games back as of Wednesday morning. They’ll be hungry to make up ground when they visit Minneapolis on Sunday. The Clippers tout the fourth-best offense in the NBA with a trio of star power in Kawhi Leonard, Paul George and James Harden. The Timberwolves, however, have matched up well against the Clippers and will get them at home on a day’s rest, so it’s certainly not their toughest of the month, but Los Angeles will always present a challenge. 

4. at Nuggets, Friday, March 29, 8 p.m.

The defending champs are always a difficult game, and it's certainly not easy to play them on the road. The Nuggets are just two games back of the Timberwolves for first in the West as of Wednesday morning. Nikola Jokic is having another tremendous season in which he's averaging 26.1 points, 12.3 rebounds and 9.3 assists per game. Minnesota's defense, at times, hasn't been quite as good on the road as it has been at home, but the Wolves will need a strong performance from Rudy Gobert and Co. when they visit Denver and take on Jokic, Jamal Murray and the Nuggets. 

3. at Clippers, Tuesday, March 12, 9 p.m.

Nine days after getting the Clippers at home, the Timberwolves will travel to Los Angeles to play Leonard, George, Harden and Co. again. It'll also be the fourth game of a six-game road trip for Minnesota. It's certainly not easy to win on the road, and that's especially true against a team of the Clippers caliber. And if the Timberwolves take care of business at home, the high-powered Clippers are certainly going to come out in full force in hopes of getting one back when they meet again in L.A. 

2. at Cavaliers, Friday, March 8, 6:30 p.m.

This is not only a difficult matchup for the Timberwolves, but also an interesting one. The Timberwolves have touted the top-ranked defense in the NBA for most of the season, and the Cavaliers have been right behind them (sort of). As of Wednesday morning, the Wolves have the highest defensive rating in the NBA at 107.8, while the Cavaliers have the second best at 110.6. Cleveland is currently in second place in the Eastern Conference standings, and Donovan Mitchell remains among the NBA's best scorers, averaging 28.1 points and 6.2 assists per contest. 

1. vs. Nuggets, Tuesday, March 19, 8 p.m.

The Nuggets aren't a team you want to be facing on the second half of a back to back. The Timberwolves will have to anyway. After their six-game road trip ends in Utah on March 18, Minnesota will head back to Minneapolis to take on Jokic, Murray and the Nuggets the following night. The Timberwolves have been inundated with back to backs in recent weeks, and perhaps none will be tougher or higher stakes than the March 19 matchup. The Nuggets remain within two games of the Wolves for the top seed in the conference and will have a day's rest to give their best performance against what could be a weary Timberwolves team at Target Center. 

Nov 1, 2023; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards (5) drives while Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray (27) defends during the second half at Target Center / Credit: Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports