The Minnesota Timberwolves, like most Western Conference contenders, are in the middle of the home stretch of the season. Every game matters now, as a loss could be the difference between potentially playing one game or having to win one game to advance. Unfortunately, they suffered a brutal loss to the Los Angeles Lakers, a loss that sent them tumbling to the ninth seed. To make matters worse, the team is reportedly dealing with a flu-like outbreak, per Jon Krawczynski.
“No one wants to hear this, but it's clear this illness has ravaged the [Timberwolves]. [Karl-Anthony] Towns said it hit him hard. [Anthony] Edwards was throwing up at halftime and laying in the tunnel when he was not in the game. Rivers wasn't even there tonight. Horrible timing.”
Krawczynski also noted the other members of the team dealing with the illness in his article for the Athletic. Taurean Prince, Mike Conley, and Austin Rivers were all dealing with this outbreak. The timing could not be worse for the Timberwolves, who are among the teams fighting for a Play-In tournament spot in the West.
Should the Timberwolves stay with the ninth seed in the West, they will come into the Play-In Tournament with bad odds, so to speak. They will at least have home-court against the 10th seed. However, they will need to win two games (the 9th-10th game, then against whoever loses between 7th and 8th) in order to advance to the playoffs itself.
The Timberwolves will need to hurry and recover as quickly as possible. If they're not careful… they could even lose their spot in the Play-In tournament. The other teams below them just need a hot streak to overtake them in the last few games.
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