With five games to go and a tight playoff race brewing, a matchup between the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Utah Jazz has big implications in the game itself.
There are plenty of storylines that can be drawn from either side. Donovan Mitchell’s Rookie of the Year campaign, Karl-Anthony Towns’ All-Star season, Jimmy Butler changing the culture in the Timberwolves locker room, and Rudy Gobert’s impact mid-season upon his return from injury have made these teams relevant and competitive this season.
The Wolves are pushing for the playoffs for the first time since 2004 and had two All-Stars. The Jazz have been an elite team since the end of January; a remarkable feat considering the departure of All-Star Gordon Hayward.
But when faced off against each other, these two teams have more history — on this year alone — to make this more than a late-season playoff picture shifter.
That’s why, when presented with a question regarding any remaining animosity coming from Towns towards their Sunday night opponent, he responded with a question of his own.
“What do you think?” he said at Saturday afternoon’s practice.
In three games this season, the Timberwolves and Jazz have had two games decided by single digits, accumulated six technical fouls and even seen two ejections. Utah’s addition of Ricky Rubio — acquired in a deal from Minnesota over the summer — is part of it, but the nature of the games have taken on lives beyond the trade.
But at this point in the season, Tom Thibodeau thinks that, with the importance of these last five games, his team will be able to stay focused.
“It’s competitive. They’re a hard-playing team, hopefully we’re a hard-playing team,” Thibodeau said at Sunday morning’s shootaround. “Everyone’s vying for the same thing this time of year.”
Past the point that these teams are within a half-game of each other, the games they’ve played head-to-head to get to this point is a story in itself.
Their first matchup was Minnesota’s home opener. What started as a sentimental and emotional return for fan-favorite Ricky Rubio quickly turned into a chance for Jimmy Butler to steal the “fan favorite” torch from Rubio mid-game.
After a face-to-face scuffle at center court, Butler got the crowd involved. The crowd erupted in applause. From there, it was clear that Butler had already won his new fans over.
The Timberwolves would go on to win that game in thrilling fashion, but a spark and a standard had been set for future games.
The second game was less eventful in nature and a relatively easy win for the Wolves. But it came at a time when the Jazz didn’t have Defensive Player of the Year favorite Rudy Gobert in the lineup.
When he returned, the Jazz went on a run and haven’t slowed down. They’ve won 24 of their last 29 games, including a March 2 win over the Timberwolves. They lead the league in defensive rating over that stretch at an absurd 96.6 points allowed per 100 possessions.
To put that into perspective, only two teams since 2000 held a defensive rating under 97 for an entire season: the 2003-04 Detroit Pistons and San Antonio Spurs. The Pistons went on to win the championship that season.
That third game — with Gobert back in the lineup — is what set the tone for their matchup on Sunday.
The Jazz pulled away in the end, getting their on-court revenge for the last two matchups. The Wolves were just over a week into their stretch without Butler, and coming off a back-to-back.
But fatigue didn’t seem to set into this game.
A couple quick technicals had Towns ejected by the end of the first half. In the second half, Teague would get a flagrant two for a hip check on Rubio, followed by a double-technical on Thibodeau and Jae Crowder.
It was a strange game, and while the officiating had much to do with it, it’s hard to forget the opponent.
These teams and this game are much more than the scuffles that took place in previous matchups. Both are likely to make the playoffs and are likely going to be in the picture for the foreseeable future. In the end, that’s what matters.
The fact that they’re separated by a half-game is the main story in the grand scheme of things, and it’s certainly the main thing on every player’s mind heading into the game. Recent history will take a back seat to the task at hand.
But players don’t forget, and those previous games mean something, even if it’s only a sliver of the thought process. The idea that these games could be this meaningful and fun over the next few years is an exciting thought.
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