Minnesota Timberwolves and the NBA Playoffs: What might it look like

MINNEAPOLIS - The Minnesota Timberwolves have three regular season games left, and we’re already starting to look ahead to the Western Conference Playoffs.

That’s not something those of us who have followed the team for the last 20-plus years have been able to say a lot. In fact, just once since the team’s 2004 run to the Western Conference Finals.

The Timberwolves have a three-game home stand to end the regular season, against the Wizards, Spurs and Bulls. The Wizards are out of the playoff mix, the Spurs are battling for the 10th and final spot in the play-in series and the Bulls are fifth in the East.

The Timberwolves got a critical win at the Denver Nuggets Friday night, then followed up with a win over the Houston Rockets Sunday night in their final road game of the season. The Wolves (45-34) are 1.5 games behind the Utah Jazz for the No. 6 spot, and two games behind the Nuggets for the No. 5 spot.

Karl-Anthony Towns #32 of the Minnesota Timberwolves goes up for a slam dunk as Josh Green #8 of the Dallas Mavericks looks on in the first half at American Airlines Center on March 21, 2022 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images) (Getty Images)

The Jazz have games left against the Grizzlies, Thunder, Suns and Trail Blazers. The Nuggets have games left against the Spurs, Grizzlies and Lakers. If the Wolves are going to jump the Jazz for the No. 6 spot, they’ll need to win their final three games and get some help. It’s unlikely, but not impossible, that they could get up to the No. 5 spot.

The Timberwolves are guaranteed to do no worse than the No. 7 spot, which means at minimum, they’ll be in the play-in series. So how does the play-in series work? Here’s a quick explanation.

• If the current standings hold, the Timberwolves would host the L.A. Clippers in a one-game playoff at Target Center. If they win, they’re in the Western Conference Playoffs as the No. 7 seed, and likely would face the Grizzlies.
• If the Timberwolves would lose to the Clippers, they would then host the winner of currently the No. 9-seeded Pelicans and No. 10-seeded Spurs. The season would be over for the Pelicans/Spurs loser. The Timberwolves would need to beat the Pelicans/Spurs winner to then be the No. 8 seed, and get a first-round playoff date with the No. 1-seeded Suns.
• If the Timberwolves were to need two play-in games and happen to lose both, their season would be over.

Best case scenario: The Timberwolves jump the Jazz for the No. 6 spot and don’t need the play-in series to earn a playoff spot. The most likely scenario is a one-game playoff against the Clippers at Target Center. The Timberwolves are 1-3 against the Clippers this season, with all three losses by double digits. To complicate matters, they’ve won three of their last four games since Paul George returned from an elbow injury.

The bottom line is that for the second time since 2004, the Timberwolves will be involved in the playoffs in some capacity.