Timberwolves' second half kicks off with huge back-to-back in Texas

Exactly halfway through their 2025-26 season, the Timberwolves are in a great spot. They're 27-14, having gone an NBA-best 17-6 since Thanksgiving. They currently sit in the fourth spot in the Western Conference standings, but they're just a game behind the Spurs and Nuggets, who are tied for second behind the juggernaut Thunder. That No. 2 seed is wide open.

The Wolves' second half kicks off with quite the back-to-back in the state of Texas. Late Friday night (8:30 p.m. CT), they've got an ESPN game against Kevin Durant and the sixth-seeded Rockets. Then, on Saturday night, they've got a rematch against Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs, who they just beat in thrilling comeback fashion last weekend in Minneapolis.

Given how tight things are in the West, these two games could have real seeding implications when the regular season is winding down in a few months. A split of the two would be an acceptable outcome for the Wolves. A sweep would be a major statement backing their contender status. Losing both would bring the vibes back down a fair bit after this recent run of six wins in seven games.

Friday night against the Rockets might be the easier one to get, even though Anthony Edwards has already been ruled out due to his foot injury. Houston just played on Thursday night, losing by 20 to the Thunder at home. Meanwhile, the Wolves should be fresh after having both Wednesday and Thursday off. The Rockets, who have lost five of their last seven games, shot an abysmal 34 percent from the floor and 29 percent from three in the loss to Oklahoma City.

Kevin Durant | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

With that said, Houston is quite good. That was just their third home loss all season (12-3), and those losses have come against the Thunder, Nuggets, and Pistons. They should be motivated to bounce back and not lose on their home court twice in as many nights. The Wolves will need Rudy Gobert to play well against Alperen Sengun and for Julius Randle, Jaden McDaniels, and Naz Reid to put up big numbers, not to mention Donte DiVincenzo and Bones Hyland in the backcourt. It's the first meeting of the season between these two teams. The Rockets are slight betting favorites.

Saturday's game will see the Wolves try to complete a 3-0 sweep of one of the best teams in the league. They beat the Spurs by 13 in late November, then rallied from a 19-point deficit to win on a late shot by Edwards last Sunday. Both of those games, however, were at Target Center. This one will be in San Antonio, where the Spurs are 14-5 this season. It would obviously be a big boost to the Wolves' chances on the back end of their back-to-back if Edwards is able to suit up on Saturday. Either way, they'll need more quality defense from Gobert and Randle to limit Wembanyama's impact.

These should be a fun couple games for the Timberwolves in the Lone Star State.

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