After ending November with a nail-biting 93-92 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers, the Minnesota Timberwolves are looking to build off that momentum. This came after Anthony Edwards called out the team amid a four-game losing streak. It won’t be easy as they have a lot of work to do. The Timberwolves sit at 9-10 (11th in the West), and they need to get off to a good start in December.
We’re going to learn a lot about the Minnesota Timberwolves this month. This will be a real test to see if things are headed in the right direction or if they fade away outside the playoff picture in the Western Conference. So strap in Timberwolves fans, because this upcoming schedule is no joke.
December Will be a Very Important Month for the Timberwolves
Get off to a Good Start
The Timberwolves currently have 11 games scheduled in December (outcome of NBA Cup group play will determine other two teams who end up on schedule). Ten of those games are against teams that are over .500. This is an area of the schedule where the Timberwolves must navigate successfully to have any hopes for the playoffs.
Their first game in December is against the 12-8 Los Angeles Lakers on Monday which would be the Lakers second game of a back-to-back. They are coming off a down-to-the-wire win against the Utah Jazz, so this would be a great opportunity for the Timberwolves to get off to a good start. Both of these teams previously played in the season opener where the Lakers won 110-103.
After the Lakers, the Timberwolves would face the other LA team, the Clippers. Both of these teams recently played each other on Friday where the Timberwolves narrowly escaped 93-92. That win snapped their four-game losing streak and they’ll have another chance at the Clippers in December.
Can the Timberwolves Rise to the Occasion?
The Lakers and Clippers won’t be guaranteed wins for Minnesota, but they are two games the Timberwolves need to secure, because the rest of games this month are no joke.
They only have four home games throughout December which means they have seven road games. Two of those will be at the Chase Center where they’ll face the Warriors on December 6 and 8. It’s important to win at least one of these games. The December 6 game will be the second game of a back-to-back for the Warriors. These matchups will be interesting because of the history between Rudy Gobert and Draymond Green.
Minnesota hosts the Knicks on December 19. The return of Karl-Anthony Towns is definitely something for Wolves fans to look forward to. He was an important piece in the trade that brought Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo to the Timberwolves. It’s a trade that some are still questioning if it was the correct move.
The back end of December will be the biggest challenge. The team will travel to Dallas for their Christmas Day game against the Mavericks. Last year, they proved to be a challenge for the Timberwolves in the Western Conference Finals. So far this season, The Mavericks still have the Timberwolves number, beating them 120-114 on October 29.
After that on December 27, they’ll face the surging Houston Rockets who are putting the league on notice. This will be another revenge game for Minnesota since they lost the previous matchup 117-105 on November 26. From there, they’ll welcome the San Antonio Spurs on December 29. This matchup features Spurs superstar Victor Wembanyama. The Timberwolves will have the chance to right their wrongs after losing in San Antonio 113-103 on November 2.
Their last game in December will be against a young, but prepared Oklahoma City Thunder team. This was a team that was the top seed in the West last season, and they got better.This would be the first time the teams meet this season. Ending the month on the road against one of the top teams in the West will not be an easy feat, but if the Timberwolves can walk out of OKC with a win, it will be huge.
It’s Time to Turn the Season Around
The good news is that the Timberwolves don’t have any scheduled back-to-backs this month. There is still room for improvement, but they have to act fast. The Timberwolves are 3-6 on the road this season so far. They’re going to have to improve on that with most of their games this month being away games. This is also the time where trades could start to bubble up, so the Timberwolves could make some moves sooner rather than later. Their quest to climb the Western Conference begins tonight against the Lakers.
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