After Friday’s loss to the Los Angles Lakers, the Minnesota Timberwolves are back to playing for a playoff spot.
Entering Saturday, the Timberwolves are currently ninth in the Western Conference and two games behind the Golden State Warriors for the sixth seed and an automatic playoff berth.
With four games remaining, the Timberwolves are unlikely to catch the Warriors. Even worse? The Timberwolves are just 1.5 games ahead of the 11th-seeded Dallas Mavericks for a spot on the couch during this year’s playoffs.
So what is the Timberwolves’ path to the playoffs? For the second straight year, It likely runs through the play-in tournament.
With the Timberwolves’ current standing, they would host a win-or-go-home game against the 10th-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder. If they win, they would have to go on the road for another play-in game between the loser of the seventh-seeded Lakers and the eighth-seeded New Orleans Pelicans.
This makes the final four games crucial for the Wolves’ playoff hopes but they may not be as easy as they appear.
On Sunday, the Timberwolves will host the Portland Trail Blazers, a team that still has playoff hopes but has shifted its focus to next season. The Timberwolves will then travel to the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday, who are trying to stay out of the play-in tournament.
That could lead to a crucial back-to-back at the end of the season. The Timberwolves will travel to the San Antonio Spurs on Apr. 8 before coming home to host the New Orleans Pelicans on Apr. 9. The matchup with the Pelicans might not only decide whether the Wolves will be in the 7 vs. 8 or 9 vs. 10 matchups, but it could also decide if Minnesota is in the play-in tournament at all.
This is also a concern after the Wolves have a combined 3-6 against their remaining opponents including a 2-4 record against the Blazers and Spurs.
Nothing has been easy for the Timberwolves this season and it appears their path to the playoffs will be no different.
