For all intents and purposes, Wednesday’s contest against the Denver Nuggets was a playoff game. Rights for the top seed in the Western Conference were on the line between two teams with a long history together. The Minnesota Timberwolves sat atop the West standings for the majority of the 2023-24 season. However, they fell in the late stages in Ball Arena as the Nuggets stole Minnesota’s No. 1 spot with the playoffs on the doorstep.
The Timberwolves are now second in the West. According to PlayoffStatus, Denver has a 68% chance to finish with the first seed, while Minnesota has just a 14% chance.