Game Preview #40 – Timberwolves vs. Warriors

The Wolves begin their critical late-January stretch with a home matchup against the Golden State Warriors. Can Minnesota contain Steph Curry and tie their regular season series with the Dubs?

Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Golden State Warriors
Date: January 15th, 2025
Time: 8:30 PM CST
Location: Target Center
Television Coverage: ESPN/FanDuel Sports Network North
Radio Coverage: Wolves App/iHeart Radio

Time to Start Climbing or Stay Stuck

Here we are, the second half of January, a stretch we’ve been circling on our calendars since the schedule came out. Seven games, all against legit playoff contenders, starting tomorrow night at Target Center against the Golden State Warriors. This is the kind of run that makes or breaks a season—the stretch where you either gain ground and plant yourself firmly in the Western Conference playoff race or keep fumbling your way around .500 and praying for a miracle come April.

For a team like the Timberwolves, who’ve been as consistent as a toddler’s bedtime, this is a defining moment. Are they going to prove they belong among the elite teams in the West? Or are we just riding the same roller coaster we’ve been on all season—a three-game win streak followed by a three-game losing streak, rinse and repeat?

The Schedule of Doom

The Warriors are just the beginning. After that, it’s a reunion with Karl-Anthony Towns at Madison Square Garden, a brutal back-to-back with the league-leading Cleveland Cavaliers, and then a Western Conference gauntlet: Memphis, Dallas, Denver. That basketball feast is followed-up with an after dinner mint of Atlanta, who have proven they can take it to the Wolves.

This stretch is like trying to binge-watch a prestige TV show in one sitting—you need stamina, focus, and no distractions. If the Wolves can come out of this with a winning record, it changes the narrative of their season. If they falter? Well, let’s just say we’ll be Googling “Western Conference play-in scenarios” by February.

Golden State: The First Test

The Warriors have taken two of three from Minnesota this season, but this isn’t the Golden State dynasty of old. They’ve lost four of their last five games, including a head-scratcher against the Toronto Raptors. They’re banged up, struggling to find consistency, and searching for answers outside of Steph Curry’s brilliance.

But let’s not kid ourselves. Golden State is still dangerous, especially when Curry gets hot. Remember his December visit to Target Center? He practically set the court on fire from three. You can’t stop him—you can only hope to contain him.

Keys to the Game

1. Stop (or Slow Down) Steph Curry

Curry is inevitable. He’s going to hit ridiculous threes, break defenders’ ankles, and make you question everything you thought you knew about basketball. The Wolves don’t need to stop him entirely—they just need to limit his explosions. Jaden McDaniels and Nickeil Alexander-Walker have to stick to him like glue, fight through screens, and make every shot as difficult as possible.

2. Own the Glass

The Wolves have a massive size advantage here. Rudy Gobert, Julius Randle, and Naz Reid need to dominate the boards. The Warriors thrive on second-chance opportunities and transition threes—Minnesota can’t let them feast on offensive rebounds. If Rudy pulls another disappearing act like he did against Memphis, it’s going to be a long night.

3. Take Care of the Ball

Turnovers have been a recurring nightmare for the Wolves, and the Warriors are masters at turning mistakes into points. Chris Finch needs to manage his lineups carefully, especially when Mike Conley is off the floor. Donte DiVincenzo has been solid since moving into the starting lineup, but the Wolves can’t afford sloppy passes or miscommunications.

4. Avoid the Scoring Droughts

This one is self-explanatory. The Wolves have a maddening tendency to go ice-cold for five or six minutes, and it has already cost them dearly against Golden State. Keep the ball moving, avoid hero ball, and find ways to get easy buckets when the offense starts to stall.

Big Picture Stakes

The Wolves are sitting in the eighth seed, but are just 3.5 games out of the third seed in the West. This stretch is their chance to move up the standings and prove they’re more than just a middle-of-the-pack team. But they can’t afford to let games like this one slip away.

Golden State is reeling, and Minnesota has the momentum of winning four of their last five. If the Wolves show up, rebound, and bring their A-game defensively, this is a winnable matchup. Drop it, and suddenly you’re heading into the meat grinder of Knicks-Cavs-Memphis with a cloud of doubt hanging over you.

The Verdict

It’s all there for the Wolves—the talent, the opportunity, the schedule. But as we’ve seen all season, it’s not about what they can do; it’s about what they will do. Tomorrow night is a chance to send a message to the rest of the league and set the tone for this critical stretch.

So let’s see if this team is ready to finally break out of the roller coaster and start climbing the Western Conference ladder, or, you know, if we’re just in for another drop.