MN Timberwolves playoffs: Who the Wolves will play in first round

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - After a busy final day of the regular season, the Minnesota Timberwolves now know which team they'll face in the first round of the NBA playoffs.

NBA Playoff seeding set

What we know:

Because of the logjam in the Western Conference, it took until Sunday, the last day of the regular season, for the Wolves to know where they would finish. The team could have ended up as high as the fourth seed and as low as the eighth seed, depending on how the final day shook out.

After the Wolves defeated the Utah Jazz on Sunday and the Warriors suffered an overtime loss to the Los Angeles Clippers, the Wolves slid into the sixth spot.

By finishing sixth, the Wolves avoided the "play-in game" and will face the third-seeded Los Angeles Lakers.

Dig deeper:

As the lower seed, the Wolves will open up the series in Los Angeles when the playoffs begin on April 19.

The team will return home for Games 3, 4, and 5 – if necessary.

Lakers-Wolves regular season

The backstory:

The Wolves faced the Lakers four times this season, splitting the season series, 2-2.

However, the Wolves have only seen the Lakers once since they traded for superstar guard Luka Doncic in February. The Lakers won that game at home, 111-102. It should be noted, the Wolves were shorthanded that night, with both Rudy Gobert and Julius Randle sidelined.

Full playoffs seeding

Big picture view:

Here is the full Western Conference seeding:

1. Oklahoma City Thunder
2. Houston Rockets
3. Los Angeles Lakers
4. Denver Nuggets
5. Los Angeles Clippers
6. Minnesota Timberwolves
7. TBD by Play-in Tournament
8. TBD by Play-in Tournament

For the play-in games, the Warriors will take on the Grizzlies for the seventh seed. The loser of that game will play the winner of the Kings-Mavericks for a shot at the eighth seed.

If the Wolves want to make it to the Finals, they may end up having to face the top-three seeds in the Western Conference.