The Timberwolves won, but it didn’t really matter.
They beat the Grizzlies 113-94 at the Target Center, just as they were supposed to. At this point in the season, the clichè is real: every game truly counts.
They got it done, and played like it, too.
After Jimmy Butler woke his team out of an in-game slumber in the first half, Karl-Anthony Towns and Derrick Rose pushed their lead to double digits in the second half. They came away with an easy victory over one of the NBA’s worst teams.
Tom Thibodeau even managed to give Jimmy Butler some extra rest, who is still on a minutes “guideline” for the time being.
So in that sense, it mattered. But the games that followed made the win irrelevant.
While the Timberwolves — currently sitting eighth in the Western Conference — were beating up on one of the NBA’s worst, their direct competition was facing one of the NBA’s best.
The Denver Nuggets — tied with Minnesota for eighth — and Portland Trail Blazers faced off in Denver. Had Portland come away with the victory, the Timberwolves were in the playoffs.
But the Trail Blazers — who are in a fight of their own, battling Utah for the third spot — struggled down the stretch and lost to Denver.
And as long as the Pelicans don’t lose to Los Angeles Monday night (they’re up 19 as I type this), Wednesday’s season finale against the Denver Nuggets will essentially serve as a play-in game for both Denver and Minnesota.
Some players have dealt with this before. The trio of Butler, Rose and Taj Gibson have all played in a one-game playoff-style Game 82’s before. Butler did it as recently as last year with the Chicago Bulls, when his team edged out the Nets to scrape their way into the No. 8 seed.
“We’re in control of our own destiny,” Butler said in the locker room, before Portland ultimately fell to Denver. “We have a game on Wednesday anyway. No matter what, we’re going in there to win.”
When asked if clinching on Monday would help, he was clear.
“I don’t care. No matter what, we’re going in there to win,” he said.
This will ultimately have to be true if the Timberwolves want to go into Wednesday’s game and win. The Nuggets are playing their best basketball right now, and the Wolves haven’t had a win against a quality opponent since March 11 over Golden State.
The game is at home, though, and Butler is back for this one. While the Nuggets now have Gary Harris back as well, Butler’s return seems to have generated the biggest immediate reward by comparison.
But the Wolves players and their head coach know what’s at stake, and have felt that type of pressure all season long. Even when they sat in the top four — which lasted for nearly three-fourths of the season — the teams below them were never too far away.
“It’s been like this for [a long time],” Thibodeau said after the game. “It’s good for our guys, certainly good for the league. Every night, you’re trying to figure out what teams need to lose, what teams need to win. It makes it exciting.”
For some fans, the idea of a play-in game will be exciting, and it comes with all the obvious reason. A single game that determines a playoff berth doesn’t happen — let alone with both teams face each other to determine it.
But for some fans — specifically Timberwolves fans — the idea of a single game determining whether or not they break a 14-year hiatus is going to be a terrifying thought. After appearing as though they’d finally end their streak, a bad injury to their best player, a slew of bad losses and a string of winning streaks from other teams brought them back down.
They’ll have to fight for their playoff lives on Wednesday. Barring something unforeseen happening, one of Denver and Minnesota will make the playoffs. Wednesday’s game will determine that.
Monday’s win was fun, but Wednesday’s win will be necessary.
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