MINNEAPOLIS – The Minnesota Timberwolves have secured the third seed in the NBA playoffs and will face the Phoenix Suns in the first round. Despite being a top team in the Western Conference for much of the season, the Wolves’ playoff seed was finalized in the last game of the regular season. The Wolves had a chance to clinch the top seed but needed a win and some help from other teams. Unfortunately, they lost their final game to the Suns, dropping them to the third seed. The matchup against the Suns will be challenging for the Timberwolves, as they have lost all three games against Phoenix this season. The Suns have been strong defensively, making it difficult for the Wolves, especially Anthony Edwards, to execute their game plan effectively.
In the previous matchups, the Wolves struggled with slow starts, allowing the Suns to build early leads. The Suns’ center, Jusuf Nurkic, has also been a tough matchup for the Wolves, particularly Rudy Gobert, who has found it challenging to score against Nurkic’s defense. Despite the tough matchups, the Timberwolves will look to regroup and prepare for the first round of the playoffs, which is set to begin on April 20 and 21.