With the Minnesota Timberwolves making a push toward the top seed in the Western Conference, there has been a lot of talk about potential playoff matchups.
The Timberwolves lost to one team they could see in the playoffs, falling 124-120 to the Sacramento Kings on Friday night, but despite dropping to 1-2 against Sacramento this season, Minnesota forward Jaden McDaniels isn't concerned about seeing the Kings in April.
"I really don't worry about them coming here," McDaniels said via the Star Tribune's Chris Hine. "I feel pretty confident we could beat them four times in a row if we had to play them."
McDaniels's comments make sense considering how the three games against the Kings have played out.
Both teams were healthy during a 124-111 loss to the Kings at Target Center on Nov. 24 but the Wolves rebounded for a 110-98 win in Sacramento without Karl-Anthony Towns on Dec. 23.
Friday's rubber match saw the Kings play without leading scorer De'Aaron Fox but Anthony Edwards also missed the second half due to personal reasons. Malik Monk, who averages 15.4 points per game, also went nuclear, scoring a season-high 39 points to lead Sacramento to the overtime victory.
Despite the loss, there were other positives the Wolves could lean on. McDaniels scored a career-high 26 points and Minnesota had all five starters score in double figures. Naz Reid also pitched in with 18 points and seven rebounds on the bench and held their own on a night that saw the Kings open the game on a 15-2 run.
With both teams completing their regular season slate, the next time the Wolves could see the Kings is in the playoffs. Minnesota currently has a 0.5-game lead over the Oklahoma City Thunder for the top seed in the Western Conference but the Denver Nuggets also sit one game behind Minnesota and the Los Angeles Clippers, who visit Target Center on Sunday afternoon, sit three games back.
Meanwhile, the Kings are in seventh place after Friday's win and are currently projected to face the Dallas Mavericks in the opening round of the play-in tournament. If the Wolves fall to the second seed, they could wind up seeing the Kings in the first round, otherwise, a matchup could occur during a deep run into the playoffs.
Either way, games like these are going to be a barometer for what the Timberwolves could do in the playoffs.
More must-reads: