This year, the Timberwolves are guaranteed to finish fourth or worse in the Western Conference, with a win over Toronto on Wednesday clinching a home series in the first round. But now they have a big goal in front of them: winning the West Championship. The battle for the title is currently between the Timberwolves, Denver, and Oklahoma City.
The Timberwolves will be making the playoffs for the third straight season, but for the first time in that span they won't have to advance through the play-in tournament to actually make the playoffs. Last season, the Wolves lost to the Lakers in the first play-in game, then beat Oklahoma City to secure the No. 8 seed, but lost to top-seeded Denver in the first round.
With the arrival of the play-in tournament, 11 teams from the Western Conference still remain alive to make the playoffs. The top 6 participants will be automatically entered. Teams 7-10 will participate in the play-in tournament, with two teams emerging as the 7th and 8th seeds.
The regular season ends on April 14th. The play-in tournament will be held from April 16th to 19th, and the Timberwolves will play their first playoff game on April 20th or April 21st.
Play-in occurs as follows: His No. 7 and his No. 8 teams in each conference will play his one game, with the winner taking the No. 7 seed. The 9th and 10th place teams in each conference will play one game, the loser will be eliminated, and the winner will play one game against the loser of the other play-in game for the No. 8 seed.
Here's how things stand and what the Wolves' seeding will look like.
Western Conference Standings
Battle for No.1
Wolves: 53-24
Denver: 53-24
Oklahoma City: 52-25 (1 game difference)
rest of the pack
LA Clippers: 49 wins, 28 losses (4 games difference)
Dallas: 47-30 (6 games difference)
Phoenix: 46 wins, 31 losses (7 games difference)
Current play-in team
New Orleans: 45-32 (8 games difference)
Sacramento: 44-33 (9 games difference)
Los Angeles Lakers: 44 wins, 33 losses (9 games difference)
Golden State: 42 wins, 35 losses (11 games difference)
still hunting
Houston: 38-39 (15 games difference)
NBA full standings
playoff scenario
If the Wolves finish either first or second in the Western Conference, they will face one of the two teams that won the play-in tournament. If they finish third, they will face the sixth overall seed. The Wolves have one big advantage if the teams are tied in the standings, as they currently hold tiebreakers against Denver and Oklahoma City. Wolves beat writer Chris Hine explained the situation to X:
The Timberwolves, Nuggets and Thunder all have five games remaining, with the Timberwolves and Nuggets playing a monster game in Denver on Wednesday. The Nuggets still have to play San Antonio, Memphis and Utah, three of the worst teams in the conference.
According to Tankathon.com, the Timberwolves have the 15th toughest remaining schedule in the NBA, while Oklahoma City ranks 20th and Denver ranks 27th.
recent achievements
Friday
Phoenix 97, Wolves 87
Indiana 126, Oklahoma City 112
Thursday
Clippers 102, Denver 100
Wednesday
Wolves 133, Toronto 85
Boston 135, Oklahoma City 100
remaining schedule
Wolf
Sunday: Los Angeles Lakers, 9 p.m.
Tuesday: vs. Washington, 7 p.m.
Wednesday: In Denver, 9 p.m.
Friday: vs. Atlanta, 7 p.m.
Sunday, April 14: vs. Phoenix, 2:30 p.m.
denver
Saturday: vs. Atlanta, 8 p.m.
Tuesday: Utah State, 8 p.m.
Wednesday: vs. Wolves, 9 p.m.
Friday: San Antonio, 7 p.m.
Sunday, April 14: Memphis, 2:30 p.m.
oklahoma city
Sunday: In Charlotte, 5 p.m.
Tuesday: vs. Sacramento, 7 p.m.
Wednesday: vs. San Antonio, 7 p.m.
Friday: vs. Milwaukee, 7 p.m.
Sunday, April 14: vs. Dallas, 2:30 p.m.
Check back here as we continue to update you on the Western Conference race ahead of the Wolves' return to the playoffs.
