Timberwolves don't 'fear' any team, but maybe they should

Four potential first-round opponents that Minnesota might not be very excited to face

Author:
Joe Nelson for Bring Me The Sports
Publish date:
Mar 5, 2024 6:46 PM EST

In this story:

If the Timberwolves finish first, second, third or fourth in the Western Conference they will be hosting a best-of-five series in the first round of the playoffs. Are there matchups they should hope to avoid, or dare we say, teams they should fear?

“I’m not sure anyone in the league fears us," Minnesota coach Chris Finch said Monday after the Timberwolves won their West-leading 43rd game of the season. "I don’t think we really fear anyone, either."

With 20 games yet to play, the standings could change significantly before the start of the playoffs in mid-April. If the playoffs started today, the play-in tournament would feature the Warriors, Lakers, Mavericks and Kings – four teams fighting for the No. 7 and 8 seeds.

All four would be a somewhat frightening first-round matchup for the Timberwolves for different reasons. Minnesota might not fear them now, but that narrative could change if they wind up running into them with all of the chips on the line come playoff time.

Sacramento Kings

Minnesota is 1-2 against the Kings this season, including a loss last Friday in which the Kings were without DeAaron Fox and Minnesota lost Anthony Edwards in the first half when his partner went into labor with their child.

What's more concerning is that Sacramento has beaten the Timberwolves twice at Target Center, where the Wolves have lost just eight times all season.

"I really don't worry about them coming here," Minnesota Jaden McDaniels said via the Star Tribune's Chris Hine after the most recent loss. "I feel pretty confident we could beat them four times in a row if we had to play them."

The Timberwolves have the No. 1 defense in the league but the Kings seem immune to it, having averaged 119.3 points in three games against Minnesota.

Dallas Mavericks

Few teams drew as many rave reviews as the Mavericks after the Feb. 8 NBA trade deadline. Dallas already has one of the most dangerous 1-2 punches in the league with Luke Doncic and Kyrie Irving, and they bolstered their roster by trading for P.J. Washington and Daniel Gafford.

The Mavericks don't play defense at a level to scare anyone, but they're as offensively gifted as any team in the league.

Minnesota is 3-1 against Dallas this season, but Doncic missed two of the matchups and Irving didn't play in one of them either.

Los Angeles Lakers

LeBron James and Anthony Davis are a terrifying duo come playoff time. The Lakers showed why last year as they went to the Western Conference Finals, and this year might be no different.

They've quietly gone 10-4 since Feb. 4, which is tied for the third most wins in the past month.

Minnesota has a pair of close home wins over the Lakers this season but they'll get a refreshed look at LeBron and A.D. in L.A. on March 10 and April 7 to see how they stack up in a potential playoff preview.

Golden State Warriors

Nobody wants to catch the Warriors in the playoffs. Golden State has erased a terrible first few months of the season by going 12-4 since Feb. 1.

Steph Curry is playing at an MVP level, Klay Thompson appears to be thriving in his new role off the bench and Draymond Green is a difference-maker.

The Wolves beat the Warriors on the road twice in three days back in mid-November, and they'll get one more crack at them at Target Center on March 24 to see how they match up.