The Minnesota Timberwolves are heading into next season with plenty to sort out, and the schedule makers didn’t exactly hand them a soft landing. After a trip to Paris to get a head start on the new pieces, Minnesota opens with a brutal early stretch that includes four games against teams that made the playoffs a year ago in its first seven.
That’s the bad news. The good news is what comes after.
From Nov. 8 through Nov. 23, the Wolves get an eight-game homestand - the longest in franchise history, as The Athletic’s Jon Krawczynski noted. It’s part of a larger cushion, too: Minnesota has 13 of its first 20 games at home. For a team trying to close the gap in the Western Conference, that kind of early runway can matter a lot.
The challenge starts immediately on Oct. 21 against the Miami Heat, a team that missed last year’s playoffs but now has Giannis Antetokounmpo in the mix after an offseason trade from the Milwaukee Bucks. Two nights later, Minnesota is on the road against the Orlando Magic, who pushed the top-seeded Detroit Pistons to seven games in the first round last season.
The home opener on Oct. 25 brings the Toronto Raptors to town, and the early slate keeps turning up the pressure with road games at the San Antonio Spurs on Oct. 31 and the Houston Rockets on Nov. 4.
Even the so-called easier spots are tricky, with home games against the Golden State Warriors on Oct. 28 and the Milwaukee Bucks, plus a trip to face the New Orleans Pelicans on Nov. 6.
Then comes the homestand, and it is anything but a breather. It begins with a Jazz team that features Keyonte George and Darryn Peterson in the backcourt, with Ace Bailey, Kyle Filipowski and Lauri Markkanen rounding out the starting lineup.
The Mavericks arrive with Cooper Flagg and Kyrie Irving. The Bulls bring a load of young talent, including Caleb Wilson, the fourth overall pick in June’s draft.
There’s more. The Blazers are coming off a playoff appearance and are now coached by former Timberwolves assistant Micah Nori.
The Knicks will bring Karl-Anthony Towns back to Minnesota with a championship ring. And at the end of it all, the Wolves may have to get through what could be a Julius Randle revenge game.
If Minnesota handles that stretch with a winning record, it could change the feel of the entire season.
That’s because slow starts have been a problem lately. The Timberwolves opened the past two seasons sluggishly over their first 20 games, going 10-10 in 2024-25 and 12-8 last year. Neither start ended their title hopes, but both made the road a lot harder once the playoffs arrived.
The season before that was a different story. Minnesota split its first four games in 2023-24, then ripped off seven straight wins and took 10 of the next 11, rolling to a 16-4 mark after 20 games and 24-7 through 31. That fast start kept the Wolves in the mix for the best record in the Western Conference for most of the year, even if the Oklahoma City Thunder and Denver Nuggets eventually moved ahead.
It also gave Minnesota home court in the first round for just the third time in franchise history, and later home court in the Western Conference finals before the Mavericks sent them home.
The contrast is hard to miss. Two years ago, the Wolves had to upset the Lakers and Warriors just to reach the Western Conference finals.
Last year, they needed to knock off the Nuggets before falling to the Spurs in the semifinals. That’s the kind of extra work a better regular season can help avoid.
So the early schedule is demanding, but it also gives Minnesota a real opening. If the Wolves protect Target Center and use that long homestand to build chemistry, they could give themselves a much cleaner path when spring arrives.
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Timberwolves Get A Late December Chance To Reassert Control Over Denver
The Timberwolves will not have to wait long for a measuring stick against Denver, with the first two meetings of the season set for Dec. 28 and Dec. 31. Minnesota has gone into the offseason with a very different look after adding LaMelo Ball, while the Nuggets have been far quieter in terms of roster turnover, which only sharpens the sense that these games could tell us plenty about where both teams stand in the Western Conference race.
For Minnesota, the larger backdrop is obvious: recent playoff history has made every matchup with Denver feel loaded, and the Wolves have reasons to believe this group can make those games more competitive. The scheduling gives them an early shot to show whether the roster changes actually tilt the matchup in their favor, and whether the late-December swing can become the first step toward reclaiming some control over a familiar rival. [Read more 🡒]
Timberwolves Fans Just Got A Schedule Packed With Spotlight Moments
The Timberwolves 2026-27 schedule brings a little bit of everything for fans who like their team in the national spotlight. Minnesota opens the season on the road against the Miami Heat, then gets one of the marquee dates on the NBA calendar with its first-ever Christmas Day home game, a visit from the Oklahoma City Thunder. The league also clearly expects plenty of interest, with the Wolves set for 27 nationally televised games and a franchise-record eight-game homestand on the calendar.
There is still another date worth circling as the season picture comes into focus. Minnesota is also set to learn more about Kevin Garnetts jersey retirement celebration on Aug. 14, adding another layer to a year already loaded with attention. Between the NBA Cup group stage and quarterfinals, the Christmas showcase and the national TV slate, this is shaping up as one of the most visible Timberwolves seasons in franchise history, even before the opener arrives. [Read more 🡒]