Game Preview #49 – Timberwolves vs. Wizards

The Timberwolves take a five-game winning streak back to Target Center when they face the Washington Wizards on Saturday night. Minnesota appears to have turned a corner and is playing their best basketball of the year. Can they take care of business against the Wiz?

Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Washington Wizards
Date: February 1st, 2025
Time: 7:00 PM CST
Location: Target Center
Television Coverage: FanDuel Sports Network North
Radio Coverage: Wolves App/iHeart Radio

The Timberwolves Are Rolling—Now They Need to Keep It Going

Well, well, well… look who finally decided to play like a team with actual championship aspirations.

For the first time all season, the Minnesota Timberwolves have that thing—momentum. They’re riding a five-game winning streak, their longest of the season, and suddenly look like a team that knows exactly who they are. Gone are the nights where you’d watch 36 minutes of solid basketball only for everything to go sideways during one backbreaking scoring drought. Gone are the “they just don’t have it tonight” games where the offense goes ice-cold and the defense decides to take the night off.

Now? The Wolves are playing winning basketball. The proof is right there in the results—January was their best month of the season (10-6 record), and they’ve now won 10 of their last 14. And the best part? The wins have come against real opponents. The Mavericks. The Nuggets. The Suns. All teams they’re going to have to go through if they want to make real noise in the West this spring.

Now, as the calendar flips to February, they get a golden opportunity to keep this thing going. Up first? The very beatable Washington Wizards, losers of 16 straight. If there was ever a “handle your business” game, this is it.

But before we look ahead, let’s talk about why things are finally starting to click for the Wolves.

What Changed? Why the Wolves Are Finally Looking Like a Contender

For months, we kept hearing that the Wolves were still figuring things out after the Karl-Anthony Towns shocker that sent him to the Knicks just before the season. And sure, that was a real factor. Losing a franchise cornerstone and bringing in new pieces like Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo doesn’t just magically work overnight.

But here’s the thing—it wasn’t just an adjustment issue. For most of the season, the Wolves played like a team that couldn’t get out of its own way. The starting five—Conley, Edwards, McDaniels, Randle, and Gobert—had talent, but they were prone to slow starts, offensive stagnation, and long scoring droughts that killed momentum. The defense would show up some nights, then disappear when they needed it most. It was frustrating.

That’s why the past two games against Phoenix and Utah felt different.

The biggest change? Chris Finch finally expanded the rotation.

Look, I get it. Most coaches like to keep their rotations tight—especially when they’re trying to figure things out mid-season. Finch had been rolling with a mostly eight-man lineup for months, giving meaningful minutes to only Naz Reid, DiVincenzo, and Nickeil Alexander-Walker off the bench. That’s a playoff rotation, not a regular-season one.

But with injuries forcing his hand, Finch finally gave some of the young guys extended minutes. And guess what? It worked.

Rob Dillingham played his best minutes of the season and was the team’s second leading scorer. Jaylen Clark took his opportunity to play some lock-down defense that perfectly complimented Edwards and McDaniels. Luka Garza—who has been regulated to towel waiving and garbage time, dropped 16 points. Suddenly, the Wolves had energy.

This has been the biggest revelation of the past week—mixing in the young guys has injected some much-needed life into this team.

Dillingham is a sparkplug who opens up the offense as a facilitator and a scoring threat himself. Clark brings scrappy, high-energy defense. Garza provides size and effort in the paint. It’s a different kind of lineup dynamic. Instead of relying entirely on Ant and Randle to generate offense, the ball is moving. Guys are flying around. The defensive intensity goes up.

And guess what? The Wolves don’t resemble the lifeless, miserable, stuck-in-the-mud team that squandered so many winnable games. They’ve been able to weather the storm, stay competitive, and let their stars close the deal when it matters.

It’s a small tweak, but it’s made a huge difference.

A Crucial February: The Wolves Have an Opportunity to Make a Move

So here we are—27-21, sitting at the No. 7 seed in the Western Conference, just half a game behind the Clippers for the 6-seed and only 1.5 games behind Denver for the No. 4 seed (aka home-court advantage in the first round).

The Wolves need this win against Washington because what comes next is a huge opportunity.

This five-game homestand is their longest of the season. After the Wizards, they get:

• Sacramento (Always a battle, but winnable)
• Chicago (Should be a win)
• Houston (A showdown with the surging Rockets)
• Portland (Can’t lose this one)

If the Wolves handle their business and go 4-1 or 5-0 during this stretch, they’ll be riding a double-digit win streak into their brutal end-of-February schedule.

That’s why this Wizards game is crucial—not because it’s a must-win on its own, but because it sets the tone.

If they come out sloppy and let Washington hang around, that’s a bad omen for the rest of the homestand. If they handle their business—come out strong, jump on Washington early, and put them away—it keeps the momentum rolling.

Keys to the Game: Don’t Mess Around

The Wizards are… well, they’re bad. Really bad. This is a team that hasn’t won since New Year’s Day. They have a league basement defense, struggle to generate consistent offense, and don’t have the firepower to keep up with a locked-in Wolves team.

That being said, the last time these two teams met in D.C., it was way closer than it should’ve been. The Wolves messed around for three quarters before finally pulling away late.

Can’t let that happen again.

1. Start Fast – No slow starts. No messing around. Come out with energy, build an early lead, and take control.
2. Defensive Pressure – The Wolves’ perimeter defense has been elite lately, with Ant, Alexander-Walker, McDaniels, and now Clark hounding opposing guards. Keep that up, and the Wizards won’t have a chance.
3. Win the Glass – Rudy Gobert is dominating the boards lately. Keep that up, limit Washington’s second-chance points, and don’t give them any extra life.
4. Keep the Ball Moving – The Wolves have been sharing the ball better over the past week. Don’t let the offense get stagnant.
5. No Letdowns – This is a team that must be beaten. Don’t let them think they have a chance.

Final Thoughts: Keep This Thing Rolling

The Wolves are finally playing with consistency. They’ve fixed their rotations, expanded their bench, and started closing out games like a real contender.

Now, they need to keep it going.

This five-game homestand is a gift. They must take advantage of it.

With the West being so tight, the difference between going 4-1 or 5-0 over the next five games versus going 2-3 could be the difference between hosting a first-round series and playing in the Play-In Tournament.

Everything is right there for the taking. They just need to stay locked in, keep the defensive intensity high, and keep playing team basketball.

No letdowns. No excuses. Just win the games you’re supposed to win.

It starts with Washington. Let’s see if they’re up for the challenge.