Power Rankings

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NBA Power Rankings Week 25

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The Timberwolves are on the up-and-up, and the NBA media is taking notice. In this week’s edition of NBA power rankings, the Wolves were risers across the board. Having just crossed the midpoint of the NBA season, the Wolves are in a great place to finish out the year strong and hopefully fight their way into a playoff spot.

The Wolves’ highest ranking from a major media outlet came from Sports Illustrated, who put them at No. 15, up three spots from last week. The folks over at NBA.com and CBS also had the Wolves in that range, putting them in the No. 17 spot.

Last week CBS had the Wolves at No. 18 and NBA.com had them at No. 19.

NBA.com’s John Schuhmann points out that the Wolves are probably better than their record and their ascent may just be beginning.

“The Wolves are one of three teams with a positive point differential and a losing record, are just two games out of a playoff spot, and have a big three-game stretch against the eighth-place Lakers and ninth-place Jazz later this month,” he writes.

The Wolves’ biggest jump came on ESPN, where they went from No. 24 last week to No. 19 this week.

The Wolves’ recent run has been made possible by the incredible play of Karl-Anthony Towns, who, is now averaging career highs in rebounds, blocks, assists, steals and made three-pointers. He’s on another level. You can read more from Timberwolves.com’s Kyle Ratke here.

The Wolves are now 1.5 games out of the No. 8 seed with the Lakers’ loss last night and have a big stretch of games coming up, including big home matchups against the Spurs, Jazz, Suns and Grizzlies. You can find tickets for all those contests here.

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Wolves On The Rise In Latest NBA Power Rankings

After a week in which the Wolves went 2-2, Minnesota moved from 13 to 12 in Sports Illustrated’s recent power rankings.

Here’s what SI writer Rohan Nadkarni wrote about the Wolves:

Minnesota is 44-34, seventh in the bloodbath that is the Western Conference. The Wolves are just 1.5 games back from the four seed and just 1.5 games back from ninth place. With four games remaining, anything could happen.

This week, the Wolves don’t play until Thursday. They travel to play the Nuggets on Thursday night in Denver before facing off against the Lakers in Los Angeles the next night.

The Nuggets are just 1.5 games back from the Wolves, so you know they'll be hungry.

The Lakers are No. 20 in the rankings while the Nuggets are 13.

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Wolves Up A Spot In Sports Illustrated Power Rankings

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nba-power-rankings-week-22

NBA Power Rankings: Week 22

The Wolves had just two games in the last week, but they were against two of the best teams in the NBA.

Minnesota held its own, falling to the Celtics on Thursday while upsetting the Warriors in a Sunday afternoon thriller at Target Center.

The win brought Minnesota to 39-29 overall, fifth in the West and No. 9 in NBA.com’s Week 22 Power Rankings. It’s the same spot the Wolves were in last week.

Things don’t get any easier this week for the Wolves. They hit the road on Tuesday to take on the Wizards, followed by the Spurs in San Antonio on Saturday. They then host the best team in the league, the Rockets, on Sunday. Those three teams would all make the playoffs if the season ended today and have a combined 127-72 record.

The Rockets are the No. 2 team in the rankings, the Wizards are No. 12 and the Spurs are No. 15 with Kawhi Leonard’s comeback looming.

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Wolves In Top-10 Of NBA.com Power Rankings

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Julian AndrewsWeb Editorial AssociateTwitter

After a challenging 1-2 road trip which included a win in Sacramento, a loss to the streaking Trail Blazers, and a disappointing result in a physical game versus the Jazz, the Wolves fell to No. 9 in the NBA.com Power Rankings.

Minnesota has struggled to adjust to the loss of Jimmy Butler. However, the Wolves don’t play again until Thursday, when they host the Celtics. Their five-day break should give the team a chance to rest, regroup, and get a few practices in as they continue to fight for position in a tough Western Conference playoff race.

The Wolves will have many opportunities prove themselves against quality opponents in the coming weeks. Following the game against the Celtics, the Wolves host the defending champion Warriors in a nationally-televised game Sunday afternoon before heading back on the road to play Washington and San Antonio.

The Wolves are currently 38-28, fifth in the Western Conference.

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Wolves Remain In Top-10 Of NBA.com Power Rankings

After going 1-1 in their first “week” after the All-Star break, the Timberwolves remain at No. 4 in the NBA.com Power Rankings.

This comes just a day after Jimmy Butler underwent surgery to repair a meniscal injury in his right knee. There’s no timeline for his return.

Things don’t get easier for the Wolves this week as they prep for a three-game road trip. While the teams aren’t the most intimidating (Sacramento, Portland and Utah), Minnesota will be learning to play without Butler on the run, against two teams that are hot.

The Wolves are in the middle of a playoff push, currently sitting in fourth in the West. That’s just 2.5 games up on the eight seed and 3.5 up on ninth place. Things are about get real wild, real fast.

Monday: The Kings are 18-41 overall and will not be making the playoffs. They’ve struggled of late, losing their last three and five of their last six. The Kings are 27th in the power rankings.

Thursday: This is the one to watch. The Blazers go into the week just 1.5 games back from the Wolves. The Wolves have the 2-1 season series lead over the Blazers. This would give them the tiebreaker. The Blazers are sixth in the power rankings.

Friday: Utah sits in 10th in the West, but the Jazz are hot, winning nine of their last 10 games. The Jazz are No. 10 in the power rankings.

You can read the full power rankings list here.

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Wolves Stay Put In Week 20 NBA Power Rankings

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NBA Power Rankings: Week 19

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