Timberwolves howl atop the latest NBA.com power rankings
It took 34 years, but it's finally happened.
The Minnesota Timberwolves are No. 1 in the NBA.com power rankings.
The internet was born in 1983 and the Timberwolves franchise was 4 years old when the public began using the World Wide Web. The NBA launched NBA.com in 1995 and even though we have no idea when the first iteration of power rankings was released, we're confident that this marks the first time the Timberwolves have sat atop the rankings.
With a record of 17-4, Minnesota owns the top record in the league. They've won 16 of 18 games after starting the season 1-2 and they're riding a six-game win streak ahead of Monday night's game in New Orleans.
What's scary for the rest of the league is that Minnesota could be fully healthy for the first time in a long time this week. Anthony Edwards (hip) and Jaden McDaniels (ankle) are both questionable for Monday's game. McDaniels, one of the best wing defenders in the NBA, has missed the last eight games and Edwards, clearly one of the game's best young stars, has been bothered by a right hip pointer for nearly two weeks.
Minnesota's defensive rating is 106.2. That's the best in the league and 7.6 fewer points per 100 possessions than the league average of 113.8 points scored per 100 possessions.
"That would be tied with the 2019-20 Bucks for the best differential in the last 16 seasons (since the 2007-08 Celtics)," NBA.com's rankings note.
Nov 22, 2023; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) dunks against the Philadelphia 76ers in the fourth quarter at Target Center.
Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports
