The Washington Wizards are back on the road after failing to defend their home turf versus the Toronto Raptors and Los Angeles Lakers. First up is the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The Timberwolves are led by Anthony Edwards, who recently earned his third career All-Star selection as a Western Conference reserve. Predictably, no Washington Wizards were selected for the All-Star Game, though the team will send three players to compete in the Rising Stars Challenge.
Considering they came within a few wins of the NBA Finals last season, the Timberwolves are a relatively underperforming outfit this year. They sit at 27-21 but have won five straight against a decently strong schedule and are starting to show signs of what made them great last year.
I’ve got you covered with all the stats and narratives you need to know heading into the game.
Now, why would they do that??
Coming off a Western Conference Finals berth — in just the second season in franchise history featuring a playoff series win — the Wolves decided to dramatically shake up their roster. Minnesota flipped Karl-Anthony Towns to the New York Knicks in exchange for Donte DiVincenzo and Julius Randle in a move that was meant to duck the second apron.
This trade has been disastrous for Minnesota. KAT certainly has his flaws, especially on defense, but he’s currently on a collision course with the All-NBA Second Team. Meanwhile, DiVincenzo has shot under 40% from the field this season, and Randle’s 18.6 points per game mark masks the molasses he dumps on the Wolves’ offense.
It’s unfathomable to me that a team knocking on the door of the NBA Finals would blow up their roster for financial reasons. Sure, the league’s second apron is wildly restrictive, but the Wolves turning their dollar into two corroded quarters merely flattened their chance at bringing home a title to pretty much zero.
No longer special
The Timberwolves’ defense was what made them such a scary team last year. They were notably built to stop Nikola Jokic, and they achieved that goal (as best as one can) before running out of gas in the Western Conference Finals.
KAT may not have been an All-Defense candidate, but he was still a big body to throw at the Jokices and Sabonises of the world. Now, much more responsibility falls on the famously limited Rudy Gobert, and the Wolves’ defense has fallen from elite to merely very good.
Wizards’ outlook
The Wizards opened 2025 with a win on New Year’s Day and have not even come close to winning since. They’ve dropped 16 straight games, matching their other 16-game skid from earlier this season.
They are not going to snap their streak against the Timberwolves, but luckily for Washington they get to play the Brooklyn Nets and Charlotte Hornets later this week. Those two games should be solid chances to finally stop the bleeding ahead of the NBA trade deadline.
Wizards at TImberwolves tips off at 8 p.m. EST on Saturday night at the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota.