Ranking the Minnesota Timberwolves’ Preferred Playoff Opponents

The Houston Rockets seem to be the consensus top pick for most teams in the West. This is largely because they have minimal playoff experience and lack a reliable end-of-game scorer.

The Timberwolves split the season series with the Rockets, 2-2. If things stay as they are now, with the Rockets holding the two seed and the Timberwolves sitting in the 7-8 seed play-in game, there’s a strong possibility the Timberwolves and Rockets could face off in the first round as the second and seventh seeds.

Sorry, Rockets fans, but this is what most Timberwolves fans are hoping for.

2. Memphis Grizzlies

The Memphis Grizzlies are a difficult team to assess.

Ja Morant, the team’s best player, has been inconsistent throughout the regular season, having played only 43 of the team’s 72 games. Jaren Jackson Jr. has stepped up as the team’s leading scorer, but it remains uncertain whether this will be a sustainable formula in the playoffs. Until Morant is fully healthy and returns to his dynamic form more consistently, the Grizzlies will remain a team with several question marks.

3. Denver Nuggets

The Denver Nuggets have the NBA’s best player in Nikola Jokic, but the rest of the roster leaves plenty to be desired.

While Jamaal Murray has stepped up his game in 2025, the Timberwolves have the personnel to make life difficult for him. With a group of long, versatile wing defenders like Jaden McDaniels, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, and Anthony Edwards, the Timberwolves have the tools to frustrate Murray, just as they did in last year’s playoffs when they knocked off the defending champion Nuggets.

The Timberwolves are on a five-game winning streak against the Nuggets and seem to have their number.

4. Golden State Warriors

The Timberwolves lost their regular-season series against the Golden State Warriors, 1-3.

The two teams haven’t faced off since the Warriors acquired Jimmy Butler in a trade before February’s NBA trade deadline, making it tough to accurately assess a potential playoff matchup. That said, the Warriors boast a wealth of playoff experience, a great head coach, a tenacious defense, and two of the league’s best postseason performers in Steph Curry and Jimmy Butler.

While the Timberwolves have had success against the Warriors over the past two seasons, that hasn’t been the case this year, and Butler’s addition will only make a potential playoff matchup more challenging for Minnesota.

5. Los Angeles Lakers

The Los Angeles Lakers and the Timberwolves split their regular-season series, 2-2.

However, only one of those games took place after the Luka Dončić trade, and the Timberwolves lost that one despite a subpar performance from Dončić. The biggest concern in a potential matchup with the Lakers would be whether Rudy Gobert, the Timberwolves’ top defender, can stay on the floor.

While Jaxson Hayes isn’t a floor spacer, he is the team’s only other big man. The question is whether Gobert can remain effective when the Lakers inevitably go small and play a five-out lineup with everyone on the perimeter. His history suggests otherwise, which would significantly limit Gobert’s impact on the series.

Guarding two of the league’s most gifted offensive players, Dončić and LeBron James, will be tough enough with Gobert on the floor— without him, it could be nearly impossible.

6. Oklahoma City Thunder

Respect is earned, not given, and while the Oklahoma City Thunder are the youngest team in the league, their performance this season deserves immense respect.

Led by the likely MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and a roster full of talented players, the Thunder have earned their spot as one of the favorites in the Western Conference.

Despite their incredible regular-season success, the Thunder have struggled against the Timberwolves. Two of their 12 losses came at the hands of Minnesota, and the teams split the season series 2-2. In a couple of those games, the Timberwolves were even missing key players like Rudy Gobert.

Even so, the Thunder have proven themselves to be the best defense in the NBA, and with the likely MVP and the deepest roster in the league, they will be a tough matchup for any team.

No matter who the Timberwolves face in the playoffs, the road back to the Western Conference Finals will be a tough one.