Game Preview #82 – Timberwolves vs. Jazz

In the final game of the regular season, the Minnesota Timberwolves can secure a playoff spot with a win. Can the Wolves finish the job against Utah, even without Anthony Edwards?

Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Utah Jazz
Date: April 13th, 2025
Time: 2:30 PM CDT
Location: Target Center
Television Coverage: FanDuel Sports Network North/KARE 11
Radio Coverage: KFAN FM/Wolves App/iHeart Radio

The Wolves, the Jazz, and a Season on the Brink (Sort of)

Game 82. The finish line. After 81 games of wild swings, gut-punch losses, and sudden surges of brilliance, the Minnesota Timberwolves find themselves in a position that’s both maddeningly familiar and brimming with potential: a win away from avoiding the chaos of the play-in tournament and locking in a playoff spot outright. All they need to do is handle business at home against a Utah Jazz team with one foot in Cancun and the other in the lottery simulator.

But of course, this is the Timberwolves we’re talking about. Nothing can ever be simple. So you can imagine the collective horror of Wolves Nation on Friday night when referee Ray Acosta dropped a tech foul on Ant—his 18th, meaning a one-game suspension just as the season was coming down to its final, most important act.

Except…

Plot twist. The NBA rescinded it. Hallelujah.

Cue the Kevin Garnett primal scream. Employee No. 5 is playing Sunday.

And just like that, the clouds parted, the fanbase unclenched, and game 82 turned from an existential crisis into a manageable to-do list. Beat the Utah Jazz. Go home. Avoid the play-in.

Let’s be real: if this season ends with the Wolves tripping over their shoelaces against the 17-win Utah Jazz on their own floor—with Anthony Edwards in the lineup—I say we throw the entire state of Minnesota into Lake Superior and call it a day.

A Wild, Wild Western Mess

First, the stakes. As of Saturday morning, the Western Conference is so tightly packed, you could drop the standings into a mason jar and sell them at Whole Foods.

You’ve got four teams—the Nuggets, Clippers, Warriors, and Wolves—all separated by a single game. One of them is going to the play-in. Three are getting seven-game series and an extra week of rest. That’s it.

The Wolves? They’re right there in the mix. Win Sunday, and they’re in. Maybe as high as the 4-seed. The most likely outcomes are a road trip to Denver or L.A. Maybe they somehow dodge both and land in a first-round rematch with the Clippers, who Minnesota swept this season. It’s all on the table.

But lose? And you’re likely flying back to Memphis for a rock fight with your season on the line. Against Ja Morant and his imaginary grenade celebrations. In a play-in. One game. One bad whistle. One fourth-quarter meltdown. One broken remote control.

The Setup

Let’s talk Jazz. They’re tanking. They’ve got nothing to play for, and they’re locked into the draft lottery. They’re basically using game 82 to give reps to guys who sound like auto-generated players in 2K’s MyCareer mode.

This is the basketball equivalent of walking into an arm-wrestling contest and being told your opponent is a department store mannequin. The Wolves are 21.5 point favorites. Deservedly.

But—and say it with me—this is the Timberwolves. If there’s a banana peel, they’ll find it. If there’s a rake in the yard, they’ll step on it. If there’s a way to make something terrifying out of a perfectly winnable game, this team has proven time and time again that they will oblige.

Just ask anyone who watched the Milwaukee meltdown.

Keys to the Game

Now that Ant is suiting up, the margin for error expands, but it doesn’t disappear.

1. Start fast.

Brooklyn jumped out 7-0 last game. That’s not ideal. This isn’t a time for lazy switches and missed assignments. It’s a time for blood. The Wolves need to come out like they’re playing Game 7 of the Finals. Get up double digits early, lock in defensively, and make Utah regret showing up.

2. Feed Rudy early.

Rudy Gobert just dropped 35 and 11 on Friday. Read that again. 35 points. Gobert looked like Shaq with a French accent out there. And now against his former team? Oh baby. We need aggressive Rudy. Lob-catching Rudy. Put-back Rudy. Vengeance Rudy.

3. Let Julius cook (smartly).

Julius Randle’s been in his bag lately—dropping 31 in Memphis, hitting threes, finding cutters. But it’s gotta be in the flow of the offense. If Julius starts playing 1-on-5 isolation ball in the third quarter while Ant waves his arms like an air traffic controller, we’re in trouble.

4. Keep the offense moving.

The Wolves’ best moments this season have come when the ball’s zipping. Conley probing. NAW hitting corners. DiVincenzo splashing catch-and-shoot threes. If we see four straight possessions of Ant dribble-dribble-stepback three, someone’s gotta call a timeout and hit the eject button on that game plan.

5. Bench energy.

Third game in four nights. Legs are going to be toast. This is where T.S.J., Jaylen Clark, or Dilly can steal a few minutes with hustle plays and energy. Get a couple transition buckets. Keep the game from stalling. Finch has to trust his depth.

The Ant-Man Factor

Anthony Edwards is the most electric young player in the league right now. He’s the guy who wants the pressure, the smoke, the spotlight. He torched Memphis with 44 before the fourth quarter even started. He didn’t even need the last 12 minutes.

If Ant comes out with that same killer instinct on Sunday? If he plays within himself but still aggressive, attacking, drawing fouls, swinging the ball when necessary?

Then this one shouldn’t be close.

Final Thought

This is a statement game. One last test. Win, and you’re a playoff team with a puncher’s chance to go on a run. Lose, and you’re spiraling into a single-elimination scenario with a franchise’s worth of baggage on your back.

After 81 games of chaos, promise, disappointment, growth, heartbreak, and big-time basketball, the Wolves’ fate comes down to this:

Beat the Jazz.

That’s it. Take care of business. Don’t play with your food. Don’t tempt fate. Don’t open the door for disaster.

Anthony Edwards is playing. The excuses are gone.

Let’s go Wolves.