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.
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.
