Timberwolves come into the basketball royal rumble toward NBA eliter

Minnesota Timberwolves enters what corresponds to a basketball royal rumble, where the best of the best will get into the ring and when the calendar turns to march, everyone will have a really good idea of ​​where Wolves rank among the NBA elite .

After winning eight out of ten matches, Minnesota charges a stretch of seven matches against championship developers. It starts on Monday night on the road to the eastern conference -leading Cleveland Cavaliers.

The wolves hosted Cleveland on January 18 and lost 124-117, and never found a response to Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland, combining to 65 points-burning of nine three-Pointers and 17 trips to the free-c-c-ceiling line. Cavs comes in the competition with good health and de’handre Hunter, who is expected to make his Cleveland debut after being traded from Atlanta Hawks. Hunter lit Minnesota for 35 points in Wolves’ win over Atlanta on January 27.

Minnesota returns home to meet Milwaukee Bucks Wednesday. Bucks will not be full strength as superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo will miss at least a week due to veal. Milwaukee has dropped six of nine games gathered, including four just without Antetokounmpo.

On Thursday night, Wolves hit the way for a date with western leading Oklahoma City Thunder. It’s the second night in a back-to-back for both teams. While Minnesota flies from Minneapolis to Oklahoma City, Thunder will fly home after playing in Miami on Wednesday night. Thunder beat Minnesota 113-107 on New Year’s Eve in Oklahoma City. More meetings weaver in short order.

The All-Star break (February 14-20) gives Minnesota a chance to get key players back from an injury. It is possible that Julius Randle and Donte Divincenzo will return when the wolves return to the game on February 21 in Houston. Divincenzo has not played since he has suffered a big -stained stun on January 15, and Randle has been out with a real adductor strain since January 30.

Rockets have lost six of seven in the game Monday, and they are 1-2 against Wolves this season, with their lonely victory coming in overtime in Minneapolis on November 26. All three matches have been nail bitter.

The fifth and sixth games in Gauntlet are back-to-back 23-24. February against Thunder. The first game is at Target Center, and then both teams fly to OKC to get another time at the Paycom Center.

Minnesota then gets two days off before a highly expected matchup with the new look Lakers in Los Angeles on February 27. Luka Doncic debuts Monday night, marking his first game since he was shopped and the first action on the field since suffering a calf injury against Minnesota 1st Christmas Day.

It will be an intense 17 days in which Anthony Edwards and the company will have to appear against them like Mitchell, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Green, Alperen Sengun, LeBron James and Doncic.

As difficult as the schedule is, it is an option for Minnesota to move up the position. They enter the game on Monday sixth in the West, 2.5 games behind Lakers, three behind the rockets and only four in the back of the third place nuggets.