Can the Minnesota Timberwolves make it into 2023 NBA playoffs? Looking at chances of the team to make it past play-in tournament
The Minnesota Timberwolves clinched a 113-108 comeback win in their season finale against the New Orleans Pelicans. The Timberwolves qualified for the play-in tournament for the seventh vs. eighth-place game against the LA Lakers on the road.
If the Timberwolves win the game, they will qualify as the seventh seed to face the Memphis Grizzlies in round one for the second consecutive year. If they lose, Minnesota will have another opportunity against the winner of the ninth vs. 10th place game between the New Orleans Pelicans and OKC Thunder.
The eighth-seed game will be held at home for the Timberwolves as they also clinched their season series against the ninth-placed Pelicans and have a better record (42-40) over the Thunder (40-42).
The Minnesota Timberwolves will enter Tuesday's (April 11) play-in game against the LA Lakers behind three consecutive wins. They have decent momentum, but the Lakers will be the favorites. LA has won six of their last seven games, and it's a home game for the 17-time champions due to their superior record.
The Timberwolves, meanwhile, could be without key starters Jaden McDaniels, their best perimeter defender, and Rudy Gobert, their defensive anchor. McDaniels suffered a hand fracture after punching a wall in the tunnel during the team's win over the Pelicans on Sunday.
McDaniels played in the first quarter but never returned. Meanwhile, Gobert found himself in a physical altercation with teammate Kyle Anderson. The three-time DPOY punched the latter and could now face disciplinary action.
Oh my Rudy Gobert just threw a punch at his own teammate Kyle Anderson https://t.co/6GP5wwkCqW
Minnesota may not beat the Lakers and make it to the playoffs as the seventh seed, but they have a legitimate shot at qualifying as the eighth seed. The McDaniels and Gobert incidents occurred in the first half, leaving the Timberwolves shorthanded when they trailed by 12 points.
However, Minnesota emerged victorious after a stellar showing from franchise cornerstones Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns. The former went off for 26 points, while the latter had 30. They scored 37 of their 56 points in the second half to lead the Timberwolves to a comeback win.
The Minnesota Timberwolves' homecourt advantage for the eighth-seed game gives them the advantage to prevail against the Pelicans or Thunder and make their second consecutive playoff appearance for the first time since 2004. They will face the Denver Nuggets in the first round if they win the eighth seed.
Minnesota Timberwolves team chemistry in question following Rudy Gobert-Kyle Anderson altercation
The Minnesota Timberwolves seem to have hit rock bottom at the worst possible time. Their final regular-season game saw starter Jaden McDaniels fracture his hand and veterans Rudy Gobert and Kyle Anderson get into a physical altercation.
Jaden McDaniels punched a wall on the way to the locker room 😬
He is out the rest of the game with a hand injury https://t.co/QVGMp1hful
That's certainly not the kind of situation any team wants to be in, let alone the Timberwolves entering the postseason. Minnesota is yet to seal their playoff berth, too, making Sunday's incidents worse for their bid to make a deep playoff push. However, Karl-Anthony Towns and Anthony Edwards guiding the team to a win gives the Timberwolves some relief for now.
The two will have to shoulder the responsibility to a great extent, especially with the looming possibility of McDaniels and Gobert missing the play-in game against the Lakers and potentially the eighth-seed game against the Pelicans or Thunder if the Minnesota Timberwolves lose against LA.