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The Minnesota Timberwolves have earned the eighth seed and last spot of the Western Conference playoffs. Minnesota won 120-95 over the OKC Thunder, which set it up for a first-round date with Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets.
Despite the emphatic win, some basketball fans still couldn’t resist trolling the Timberwolves:
“Hang the banners”
Last year, the Minnesota Timberwolves beat the LA Clippers to win the seventh seed in the 2022 NBA playoffs. Anthony Edwards played a big role in dispatching Paul George and his teammates in a very emotional encounter.
After the win, Timberwolves players and fans celebrated like they'd won the Larry O'Brien Trophy. They were trolled on social media as the play-in tournament champs.
The Minnesota Timberwolves got off to a bad start in the pre-playoff tournament this year. They allowed the LA Lakers to rally past them without the suspended Rudy Gobert, who swung at teammate Kyle Anderson.
The game tonight against the OKC Thunder was the Timberwolves' last chance to extend their season. They did so in emphatic fashion by going to their biggest strength, which is their combination of size and skill.
Karl-Anthony Towns led the way with 28 points and 11 rebounds while Rudy Gobert returned with 21 points and 10 rebounds. Anthony Edwards added 19 points and 10 boards to overwhelm the gritty Thunder inside the paint.
The Minnesota Timberwolves exploded for 58 interior points and allowed the OKC Thunder just 30. It was the biggest difference in the matchup that allowed Minnesota to clinch back-to-back postseason appearances.
Awaiting the struggling Timberwolves will be back-to-back NBA MVP Nikola Jokic and the top-seeded Denver Nuggets.
The Minnesota Timberwolves will be heavy underdogs against Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets
While the Minnesota Timberwolves struggled to get into the postseason, the Denver Nuggets cruised into it. Denver held the best record in the Western Conference for over three months before the play-in tournament started.
A cause for concern for the Denver Nuggets will be Nikola Jokic's calf injury. The reigning MVP missed several games down the stretch due to the the said issue.
If he is past his injury struggles, the Timberwolves will have a tough time dealing with him. In three games against Minnesota this season, Jokic has averaged 25.0 points, 12.7 assists and 10.0 rebounds.
Rudy Gobert's primary task will be to try and contain the two-time MVP. The three-time Defensive Player of the Year winner hasn't had much success against Jokic, though.
In his past 10 games against "The Stifle Tower," the Serbian is averaging 28.2 points, 9.9 rebounds and 8.9 assists. Gobert has been playing through back spasms for more than a week. He didn't look like he was confident to block shots in his past two games.
If Gobert is compromised, Nikola Jokic's Nuggets will be in a much better position to proceed to the second round of the playoffs.
You may also want to read: "Rudy Gobert is on the softer side" - Draymond Green says the French star gained his respect despite being suspended for punching his own teammate
