The Minnesota Timberwolves now have just a 17% chance to make the playoffs, following Wednesday night’s 115-104 loss to the Sacramento Kings, according to ESPN’s Basketball Power Index (BPI).
Minnesota Timberwolves have a 4.9% chance to finish as a top-6 seed, a 40% probability to qualify for the play-in tournament
Minnesota also has only a 4.9% chance to clinch a top-6 seed and a 40.5% probability to qualify for the play-in tournament. The BPI is projecting the Timberwolves to finish 39-43 and 10th in the Western Conference as well.
Last season, Minnesota reached the Western Conference finals for the first time since 2004. However, the Wolves have lost four in a row and seven of nine after starting 6-3 this season.
The Karl-Anthony Towns trade could be to blame for Minnesota’s slow start. In a late-offseason blockbuster trade involving the New York Knicks and Hornets, the Timberwolves traded Towns to the Knicks in exchange for New York’s Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo.
another night at the crib. 🏆
Wolves vs. Clippers
6:30pm CT, @TargetCenterMN
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The Wolves also received a 2025 top-13-protected first-round pick from New York via the Detroit Pistons. Randle received his full 15% trade bonus as part of the transaction, according to ESPN’s Bobby Marks. That essentially raised the forward’s cap hit for 2024-25 from $28,939,680 to $33,073,920.
With Minnesota last season, Towns finished second in all four of these metrics: points (21.8 PPG), total rebounds (8.3 RPG), offensive rebounds (1.5 ORPG), and defensive rebounds (6.8 DRPG).
Trading away Towns might not have been the solution to Minnesota’s problems. In the Timberwolves’ 128-125 loss to the Charlotte Hornets on Jan. 22, 2024, Towns set a new franchise record in scoring with a career-high 62 points.
Not only did Towns record 44 points in the first half, the most in any first half in the play-by-play era (since 1996-97), but he also became the first center in NBA history to make 10 3-pointers in a game.
Anthony Edwards called out teammates after loss to Kings
During Minnesota’s 115-104 loss to Sacramento on Wednesday night, the Wolves blew a 12-point fourth-quarter lead, which came a day after losing 117-111 in overtime to Houston at home.
Anthony Edwards, who led the Timberwolves with 29 points, ripped his team’s lackluster performance after the game.
“Our identity right now is, I think it’s we soft as hell as a team, internally,” Edwards said. “Not to the other team, but internally, we soft. We can’t talk to each other. Just a bunch of little kids.
“Just like we playing with a bunch of little kids. Everybody, the whole team. We just can’t talk to each other. And we’ve got to figure it out, because we can’t go down this road.”
Wolves fans also voiced their collective disappointment more than once Wednesday night.
“The fans f—king booing us,” Edwards added. “That s—t is crazy, man. We’re getting booed in our home arena. That’s so f—king disrespectful, it’s crazy.”
The Timberwolves (8-10) host the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday night.
