The Wolves had practice a day before their biggest game since 2004.
And there’s not ignoring what’s at stake. A playoff spot. The Wolves and Nuggets both go into Game 82 with a 46-35 record. The winner will take the last remaining playoff spot.
“This is the biggest game of my basketball career,” Wolves wing Andrew Wiggins said. “ . . . On any level, this is the biggest game.”
The Wolves have had quite the season, rising all the way up to the third seed before losing Jimmy Butler for more than a month after he suffered a meniscal injury in his right knee. Butler returned on April 6 and the team is 2-0 since his return and was 8-9 without him. Certainly not a great number, but enough to stay in the Western Conference Playoff race.
“They prepared themselves all year for this. This is why you work,” Wolves coach Tom Thibodeau said. “So, they continue to grow. I think they’re learning a lot. This last month has been great for us. Just in terms of every game meant a lot in terms of the playoff race and also to do it without Jimmy. It was a chnace for growth.”
One player who desperately wants to get his team in the playoffs in his third NBA season is Karl-Anthony Towns. Towns took pride on being a player who would get the Wolves back to the playoffs after being drafted first overall in 2015 and those feelings haven’t changed. If anything, they’ve gotten stronger.
“This franchise history is part of me. This franchise has given me the start to my career. It’s given me the life that I always wanted to live. I’m forever grateful to this franchise,” Towns said. “So I take those things very personally. Tomorrow’s a game that’s bigger than I how I feel. It’s bigger than all of us. We have to go out there and win, not just for ourselves, not just for the coaching staff, not just for the organization. For everyone in the state of Minnesota. They deserve that.”
Tipoff on Wednesday night is set for 7 p.m. Doors open at 5:30 for those attending the game. The game will air on Fox Sports North Plus and 830 WCCO.