Julian AndrewsWeb Editorial AssociateTwitter
The Wolves play one of the most important games of their season tomorrow when they face the Nuggets in Denver, but there are a couple games tonight that will impact their playoff seeding.
I wrote at length earlier today about how the Wolves could clinch various playoff seeds, but the short version is very straightforward—the Wolves want everyone else in the West to lose.
Here’s your viewing guide:
Grizzlies at Pelicans, 7 p.m., League Pass
The Pelicans are just a half-game behind the Wolves in eighth place. Though Minnesota holds the tiebreaker over New Orleans, Anthony Davis’ squad is too close for comfort.
If New Orleans loses they will fall to ninth-place in the conference, and the Nuggets will move to eighth. The Pelicans will be playing hard in this one.
The Grizzlies have proven that despite their poor record they are no easy out. Memphis has beaten both the Wolves and Blazers in the last few weeks, and while the Pelicans are hoping the Grizzlies are more focused on their summer plans than the game tonight, all NBA players want to win every night.
However, reeling from four straight losses and facing a must-win situation tonight, it’s unlikely the Pelicans allow Memphis to catch them off guard.
Wolves fans should be rooting for Memphis to pull off the upset. Any additional distance between the Wolves and the teams below them in the standings is a good thing.
Spurs at Lakers, 9:30 p.m., ESPN
Personally, I always find it a little difficult to root for the Lakers, but I’ll be making an exception tonight.
The Spurs were upset by the Lakers’ court-mates, the Clippers, last night, and Wolves fans should be cheering for the Lakers to complete the Staples Center sweep.
San Antonio is sitting in fourth-place in the West, one game ahead of the Wolves. The Wolves’ road to home-court advantage is paved with Spurs losses.
While the Spurs are playing well, the Lakers are no pushover. They’ve been slipping lately, but Julius Randle and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope are looking better and better, and the Lakers play with a lot of hustle and pride, despite being eliminated from the playoffs.
Let’s hope they bring it tonight. Go Lakers.