The 2023-24 NBA season marks the inaugural year for the In-Season Tournament. As the tournament is something brand new, there are a lot of questions to be answered. How does the tournament work? When is it? Who do the Timberwolves play? We’re going to answer all of those questions about the Wolves’ In-Season Tournament.

Wolves' In-season Tournament groupNBA In-Season Tournament West Group C with Stephen Curry, Anthony Edwards, De'Aaron Fox, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Victor Wembanyama

The in-season tournament consists of six different groups—three for Western Conference teams and three for Eastern Conference teams. The Timberwolves fell into West Group C, which consists of the following five teams: Minnesota, the San Antonio Spurs, Golden State Warriors, Sacramento Kings and Oklahoma City Thunder.

Taking on San AntonioSpurs' Victor Wembanyama shouting and dunking the basketball

The Timberwolves begin the group stage of the In-Season tournament on the road. Their first game takes place in San Antonio on Friday, November 10th as they will take on star rookie Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs at 5:00 p.m. (PT).

This game will be a unique challenge as two Frenchmen standing well over seven feet tall face off for the first time ever. Rudy Gobert and Wembanyama have a good relationship that spans back multiple years. This battle between absolute goliaths will be fascinating to watch for not just fans of the Minnesota and San Antonio, but all basketball aficionados.

With this game taking place at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, we’ll have our first opportunity to see a special tournament court. The Spurs court (seen below) draws from their city edition design this year with a flair of coloring similar to the Fiesta theme they’ve utilized historically.

A battle in the Bay AreaWarriors' Klay Thompson shooting the ball on fire. Stephen Curry with fire in his eyes

The Wolves’ second In-Season Tournament game takes place at 7:00 p.m. (PT) on Tuesday, November 14th. The Wolves will face off with the Golden State Warriors on their home court. Unlike San Antonio, the Warriors have loads of experience, especially with Chris Paul in the mix.

The Warriors will be a tough challenge for Minnesota, but the teams split the season series last year with two wins apiece.

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Home sweet home
the new Timberwolves in-season tournament court as the background with Adam Silver off to the right and Anthony Edwards on the left

After opening the In-Season Tournament on the road, the Wolves will then host the final two group stage games at home. Both of these home games for the Wolves will be played on their brand new tournament court. First, Minnesota welcomes the Sacramento Kings to Target Center on Friday, November 24th at 5:00 p.m. (PT).

While the Kings do have a lot going for them, the Wolves match up extremely well with Sacramento. Last season, Minnesota won the season series three games to one. The Gobert-Domantas Sabonis matchup is a key one to watch. If Gobert can effectively keep Sabonis off the glass and in check overall, the  Wolves should be poised to win this one comfortably.

The final game of the group stage comes against a familiar foe. The Oklahoma City Thunder will roll into Minnesota on Tuesday, November 28th at 5:00 p.m. (PT) with hopes of revenge. Minnesota ended the Thunder’s season last year in the final play-in game. In that matchup, the Wolves dominated the boards and controlled the game.

This year, however, Minnesota native Chet Holmgren will be looking to change the narrative. OKC’s talented seven-footer could present a real problem on the offensive end with his perimeter skillset. Additionally, his rim-protection and length will make things tough for Minnesota offensively.

Bold Wolves predictions for In-Season Tournament

Considering Minnesota’s group, the Wolves should hold serious advantages over San Antonio, Oklahoma City and Sacramento. Age and experience are real advantages against the Spurs who are still figuring out the best ways to implement Wembanyama’s unique skillset around their other talented young players. As for the matchups against the Thunder and Kings, Minnesota’s freakishly large front court gives them a significant advantage.

Beating Golden State, however, is a tough ask. Minnesota’s drop coverage in the pick and roll can be exploited by numerous Warriors, but most specifically Steph Curry and Chris Paul. Expect the Wolves to go 3-1 in group play, tying them with the Warriors who will have a tough game against Oklahoma City.

With how Minnesota has defended to start the season, the Wolves should have a real chance to win their group stage and advance to the knockout stage, a single elimination bracket. In the knockout stage, the Wolves would take on other group stage winners as well as two wild-card teams for a total of eight participants. The knockout rounds begin on Monday, December 4th and will be broadcast on TNT.