The Minnesota Timberwolves took care of business on Friday night in their second-to-last game of the regular season, picking up a 117-91 victory over the lowly Brooklyn Nets. Despite that, they still find themselves sitting in the No. 7 seed in the Western Conference playoff picture, which would force them to participate in the NBA’s play-in tournament in order to find their way into the postseason. However, they could still earn a playoff spot, and even move up to the No. 4 seed depending on how things play out on Sunday.
The Timberwolves and Golden State Warriors both have 48-33 records entering the final day of the regular season, while the Denver Nuggets and Los Angeles Clippers both have 49-32 records. While Minnesota is currently the No. 7 seed, they could leap past all these teams into the No. 4 seed if a unique set of outcomes take place on Sunday.
Timberwolves still have a lot to play for in final regular season game
If the Nuggets lose, while the Timberwolves, Warriors, and Memphis Grizzlies win, Minnesota would end up being the No. 4 seed in the West, while Denver would slide all the way down to the No. 7 seed and be forced to partake in the play-in tournament. Regardless of what else happens, though, the Timberwolves only need to beat the Utah Jazz on Sunday in order to earn a playoff spot and avoid the play-in tournament.
While beating a Jazz team that has nothing left to play for may seem simple, things became more difficult when Anthony Edwards netted a suspension for the final game of the season after receiving his 16th technical foul of the season against the Nets. Tip-off for this battle against Utah is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, April 13, and while it may not seem like it, there’s a lot on the line for Minnesota in this game.
Owen Crisafulli is a Senior Editor and NFL Lead at ClutchPoints, who also covers the NBA and MLB. He recently received his Masters in Business Administration from Nichols College. Previously, he obtained his Bachelor’s degree in Sport Management, ran his own website, and had bylines at FanSided and the Basketball Network.
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