Game Preview #67 – Timberwolves at Warriors
Minnesota Timberwolves at Golden State Warriors
Date: March eleventh, 2026
Time: 9:00 PM CDT
Location: Chase Center
Television Coverage: Prime Video
Radio Coverage: KFAN FM, Wolves App, iHeartwork Radio
Every week in the past, the Minnesota Timberwolves have been sitting fairly. They had ripped off a 5-sport successful streak, gained eight of 9 video games, and climbed their approach into sole possession of the three seeds within the Western Conference. The vibes have been immaculate. The standings math appeared promising. The speaking heads have been starting to murmur that the Wolves might be a harmful sleeper group within the put up-season.
And then… the final three video games occurred.
After again-to-again losses in Los Angeles and the Orlando loss earlier than the journey, the Wolves went from the penthouse to the parking storage.
Minnesota now finds itself again in acquainted territory: the sixth seed within the Western Conference. It was a brief-lived keep at the highest of the ladder. Turns out should you fail to play protection and permit groups to attain at will, gravity works quick.
The most irritating half? The Wolves primarily crumpled up the whole lot they constructed throughout that 5-sport successful streak and tossed it into the wastebasket. The defensive id vanished. The offense grew to become disjointed. The killer intuition that had been slowly forming disappeared.
And but, as a result of the Western Conference standings are mainly a demolition derby, Minnesota is one way or the other nonetheless only a half-sport out of the three seeds. Right now the Wolves are caught in a 4-automobile pileup with Denver, Houston, and the Lakers, all jammed collectively between the three and 6 spots within the standings.
Unfortunately, the Wolves have an enormous drawback. They do not personal a single significant tiebreaker towards these groups. Minnesota is a mixed 1–7 this season towards the Lakers, Rockets, and Nuggets, which suggests if the standings finish in a tie, the Wolves are those getting shoved down the bracket.
If they need to climb again up the ladder, they’ll should do it the exhausting approach.
Maybe the Seeding Doesn’t Even Matter
Here’s the bizarre twist in all of this. A pair weeks in the past the dialog was easy: seize the three seeds, keep away from Oklahoma City, and take the clearest path again to the Western Conference Finals.
Now? It’s not that easy.
Yes, avoiding OKC nonetheless issues. They’re the group that knocked Minnesota out final yr. But the Western Conference has was a select-your-personal-nightmare situation.
Take the Lakers, for instance. On paper that matchup ought to really feel snug. The Wolves dominated Los Angeles in final yr’s postseason. But this season? Minnesota is 0–3 towards Luka Doncic and the Lakers, which all of the sudden makes that potential matchup really feel much less like revenge and extra like a horror sequel.
Then there’s Denver. The Wolves have matched up properly with them over the previous two seasons, however this yr Minnesota is 1–3 towards the Nuggets, and Denver nonetheless employs Nikola Jokic, who stays the perfect participant on planet Earth when the video games matter.
Houston is not precisely a secure draw both. Between Kevin Durant, Alperen Sengun, and Amen Thompson, the Rockets have sufficient expertise and athleticism to wreck anybody’s postseason.
And then there’s the curveball.
While everybody spent the yr worrying about OKC, the San Antonio Spurs have been surging. And should you’re waiting for potential second-spherical matchups, you might simply argue that Victor Wembanyama and a younger, fearless Spurs group is likely to be an excellent scarier draw than the defending champs.
In different phrases, the Wolves have reached the purpose the place the bracket does not actually supply a secure path anymore.
The focus now is not about dodging opponents.
It’s about getting their act collectively.
The Real Problem: The Wolves Have Lost Their Identity
Forget the standings for a second. The actual situation proper now could be that the Wolves look nothing just like the group that made again-to-again deep playoff runs.
Over the previous three video games they have been a dysfunctional mess. The protection that eleven suffocated groups has evaporated. The offense has returned into rushed threes and stagnant possessions. The “flip the switch” mentality that Minnesota sometimes leans on has all of the sudden was a harmful behavior.
Assuming that change will magically activate within the postseason? That’s a good way to finish up dissatisfied.
With simply 15 video games remaining within the common season, the Wolves haven’t got the posh of ready for issues to repair themselves. Their redemption arc begins Friday evening in Golden State.
And frankly, this sport ought to be the definition of a get-proper alternative. The Warriors shall be lacking their two largest stars in Jimmy Butler (out for the season) and Stephen Curry (sidelined). If there was ever an evening for the Wolves to stabilize themselves, that is it. But after the final three video games, Minnesota cannot afford to imagine something.
#1 – Rebuild the Defense From the Ground Up
Everything begins right here. Allowing the Clippers to attain 153 factors is the basketball equal of a 5-alarm fireplace. Yes, Kawhi Leonard went full 2019 mode, torching Minnesota from each degree of the ground, however that wasn’t the one drawback.
The Wolves allowed simple penetration. They gave up offensive rebounds. They failed to shut out on shooters. Transition protection broke down repeatedly.
That’s not one drawback. That’s each drawback.
What makes it much more puzzling is that Minnesota nonetheless has many of the core defenders from the elite defensive unit of the previous two seasons. Rudy Gobert stays the anchor. Players like Jaden McDaniels and Anthony Edwards have solely improved since then. There’s no purpose a group with that personnel ought to be surrendering 150-level nights.
The Wolves must reset defensively, talk higher, rotate sooner, and begin treating each possession prefer it issues once more.
#2 – Take Care of the Ball
The Clippers sport was successfully determined within the first half when Minnesota dedicated 15 turnovers. That type of sloppiness fuels transition offense and kills any likelihood of controlling tempo. Against an overmatched Warriors group that desperately wants somebody to bail them out, defending the basketball turns into much more essential. If the Wolves need to stabilize their offense, it begins with limiting the self-inflicted wounds.
#3 – Reassert The Size Advantage
Golden State merely does not have the dimensions to match Minnesota’s frontcourt. The Wolves proved throughout final yr’s postseason that they will bodily overwhelm the Warriors with Rudy Gobert, Julius Randle, and Naz Reid controlling the paint.
That components nonetheless works. Instead of settling for contested threes, Minnesota ought to learn into what they do finest: dominate the glass, end across the rim, and pressure the Warriors to defend inside. High-efficiency offense can go a great distance towards restoring confidence.
#4 – Julius Randle Needs to Reappear
Earlier this season Julius Randle appeared like a foundational piece for this franchise. He got here out of the gates taking part in a few of the finest basketball of his profession, constructing on the dominant stretch he had through the first two rounds of final yr’s playoffs.
Lately? That model of Randle has disappeared.
After taking part in each sport this season and logging heavy minutes in his thirteenth NBA season, it is honest to marvel if the grind is beginning to present. But the Wolves cannot afford him to fade down the stretch.
At his finest, Randle can take stress off Edwards and punish defenses inside. If Minnesota goes to regain its id earlier than the playoffs, getting peak Randle again is a giant a part of the equation. Friday is his evening to begin regaining his type.
#5 – Build the Right Habits Again
The NBA season is lengthy. Eighty-two video games can begin to really feel like an countless grind, particularly for a group that has made two deep playoff runs prior to now two years. But that does not imply the ultimate stretch of the season ought to really feel like a slog.
This is the time when good groups sharpen themselves. The Wolves cannot simply assume they’re going to flip the change in mid-April. They should construct the habits now with defensive self-discipline, ball motion, and sensible shot choice. Because groups that attempt to rediscover their id as soon as the playoffs begin normally uncover one thing else as an alternative: It’s too late.
Time to Start Climbing Again
The Wolves fell down the ladder this week, however the season is not over.
There are 15 video games left, only a half-sport hole separating them from the three seeds, and loads of alternatives to reset the narrative. If Minnesota needs one other deep postseason run, it is time to document the following run and begin pulling themselves again up.
The subsequent climb begins in Golden State.
