The 2023–24 Minnesota Timberwolves season was the 35th season for the franchise in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Entering the second season of the "Big 3" consisting of guard Anthony Edwards, center/forward Karl-Anthony Towns and center Rudy Gobert, the team sought to improve upon its 42–40 record from the previous season and make its third consecutive playoff appearance.
| 2023–24 Minnesota Timberwolves season | |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Chris Finch |
| General manager | Tim Connelly |
| Owner(s) | Glen Taylor |
| Arena | Target Center |
| Results | |
| Record | 56–26 (.683) |
| Place | Division: 3rd (Northwest) Conference: 3rd (Western) |
| Playoff finish | Western Conference Finals (lost to Mavericks 1–4) |
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
| Local media | |
| Television | Bally Sports North |
| Radio | KFXN |
After starting this season out 1–2, Minnesota went on a 7-game winning streak to start out the month of November before losing to the Phoenix Suns on November 15. The early winning streak they had early in November later led to them having quality winning record months throughout November, December, and January, to the point where the Timberwolves entered the 2024 NBA All-Star Weekend as the surprise best team of the Western Conference with a 39–16 record and with head coach Chris Finch coaching his first All-Star Game in the NBA. They later matched their overall win total from the previous season by the end of February.
On March 4, 2024, with a win over the Portland Trail Blazers, the Timberwolves improved upon their previous season's record of 42–40.
On April 1, 2024, the Timberwolves clinched their 3rd consecutive playoff berth following the Phoenix Suns' 124–111 win over the New Orleans Pelicans.
The regular season is notable for being the first since 2004 in which the Timberwolves won at least 50 games, a feat achieved following the team's win over the Detroit Pistons on March 27, 2024.
On April 28, 2024, the Timberwolves secured their first playoff series win since the 2003–04 season, and third overall win in franchise history. The team dispatched a 4–0 series victory over the Phoenix Suns in the Western Conference quarterfinals. This series also marked the first 3–0 lead and first playoff series sweep in franchise history. In the semifinals, the Timberwolves went on to defeat the defending champion Denver Nuggets in 7 games to advance to the Western Conference Finals for the first time in twenty years. However, the team was swiftly ousted by the Luka Dončić and Kyrie Irving-led Dallas Mavericks in the Western Conference Finals, succumbing in five games.
Draft edit
| Round | Pick | Player | Position(s) | Nationality | College / Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 53 | Jaylen Clark | SG |  United States | UCLA (Jr.) |
The Timberwolves had one second-round pick entering the draft.[1]
Roster edit
| Players | Coaches | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Roster |
Standings edit
Division edit
| Northwest Division | W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Div | GP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| c – Oklahoma City Thunder | 57 | 25 | .695 | – | 33–8 | 24–17 | 12–4 | 82 |
| x – Denver Nuggets | 57 | 25 | .695 | – | 33–8 | 24–17 | 10–6 | 82 |
| x – Minnesota Timberwolves | 56 | 26 | .683 | 1.0 | 30–11 | 26–15 | 12–4 | 82 |
| Utah Jazz | 31 | 51 | .378 | 26.0 | 21–20 | 10–31 | 5–11 | 82 |
| Portland Trail Blazers | 21 | 61 | .256 | 36.0 | 11–30 | 10–31 | 1–15 | 82 |
Conference edit
| Western Conference | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Team | W | L | PCT | GB | GP |
| 1 | c – Oklahoma City Thunder * | 57 | 25 | .695 | – | 82 |
| 2 | x – Denver Nuggets | 57 | 25 | .695 | – | 82 |
| 3 | x – Minnesota Timberwolves | 56 | 26 | .683 | 1.0 | 82 |
| 4 | y – Los Angeles Clippers * | 51 | 31 | .622 | 6.0 | 82 |
| 5 | y – Dallas Mavericks * | 50 | 32 | .610 | 7.0 | 82 |
| 6 | x – Phoenix Suns | 49 | 33 | .598 | 8.0 | 82 |
| 7 | x – New Orleans Pelicans | 49 | 33 | .598 | 8.0 | 82 |
| 8 | x – Los Angeles Lakers | 47 | 35 | .573 | 10.0 | 82 |
| 9 | pi – Sacramento Kings | 46 | 36 | .561 | 11.0 | 82 |
| 10 | pi – Golden State Warriors | 46 | 36 | .561 | 11.0 | 82 |
| 11 | Houston Rockets | 41 | 41 | .500 | 16.0 | 82 |
| 12 | Utah Jazz | 31 | 51 | .378 | 26.0 | 82 |
| 13 | Memphis Grizzlies | 27 | 55 | .329 | 30.0 | 82 |
| 14 | San Antonio Spurs | 22 | 60 | .268 | 35.0 | 82 |
| 15 | Portland Trail Blazers | 21 | 61 | .256 | 36.0 | 82 |
Game log edit
Preseason edit
| 2023 preseason game log Total: 5–0 (Home: 2–0; Road: 3–0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Preseason: 5–0 (home: 2–0; road: 3–0)
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| 2023–24 preseason schedule | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Regular season edit
| 2023–24 game log Total: 56–26 (Home: 30–11; Road: 26–15) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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October: 1–2 (home: 1–0; road: 0–2)
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November: 13–2 (home: 8–1; road: 5–1)
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December: 10–3 (home: 5–0; road: 5–3)
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January: 10–7 (home: 4–3; road: 6–4)
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February: 8–3 (home: 4–2; road: 4–1)
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March: 9–6 (home: 4–4; road: 5–2)
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April: 5–3 (home: 4–1; road: 1–2)
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| 2023–24 season schedule | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Playoffs edit
| 2024 playoff game log Total: 9–7 (home: 3–5; road: 6–2) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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First Round: 4–0 (home: 2–0; road: 2–0)
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Conference Semifinals: 4–3 (home: 1–2; road: 3–1)
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Conference Finals: 1–4 (home: 0–3; road: 1–1)
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| 2024 playoff schedule | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
In-Season Tournament edit
This was the first regular season in which all NBA teams competed in a mid-season tournament setting, due to the implementation of the 2023 NBA In-Season Tournament.[2][3] During the in-season tournament period, the Timberwolves competed in Group C of the Western Conference, which included the Sacramento Kings, Golden State Warriors, Oklahoma City Thunder, and San Antonio Spurs.
After defeating the Spurs and Warriors in their first two In-Season Tournament games, the Wolves lost their third game to the Sacramento Kings, which moved the Kings to first within Group C, clinching a spot in the knockout stage. The Timberwolves were left competing for the wild card with the Phoenix Suns, but ended up falling short due to the point differential tiebreaker. The Timberwolves' overall record in group play was 3-1, good enough for second in the group.
West group C edit
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | PF | PA | PD | Qualification | SAC | MIN | GSW | OKC | SAS | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sacramento Kings | 4 | 4 | 0 | 482 | 452 | +30 | Advance to knockout stage | — | 124–111 | 124–123 | 105–98 | 129–120 | |
| 2 | Minnesota Timberwolves | 4 | 3 | 1 | 438 | 438 | 0 | 111–124 | — | 104–101 | 106–103 | 117–110 | ||
| 3 | Golden State Warriors | 4 | 2 | 2 | 483 | 479 | +4 | 123–124 | 101–104 | — | 141–139 | 118–112 | ||
| 4 | Oklahoma City Thunder | 4 | 1 | 3 | 463 | 439 | +24 | 98–105 | 103–106 | 139–141 | — | 123–87 | ||
| 5 | San Antonio Spurs | 4 | 0 | 4 | 429 | 487 | −58 | 120–129 | 110–117 | 112–118 | 87–123 | — |
Transactions edit
Trades edit
| June 23, 2023[4] | To Minnesota Timberwolves Draft rights to Leonard Miller (No. 33) | To San Antonio Spurs 2026 UTA second-round pick 2028 MIN second-round pick |
| February 8, 2024[5] | Minnesota Timberwolves Monté Morris | To Detroit Pistons Troy Brown Jr. Shake Milton 2030 second-round pick |
Free agency edit
Re-signed edit
| Date | Player | Signed | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| June 25 | Naz Reid | 3 years $42M | [6] |
| June 30 | Nickeil Alexander-Walker | 2 year deal | [7] |
| July 3 | Anthony Edwards | 5 years $260M | [8] |
| October 23 | Jaden McDaniels | 5 years $136M | [9] |
Additions edit
| Date | Player | Contract terms | Former Team | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 30 | Troy Brown Jr. | 2 years $10M | Los Angeles Lakers | [10] |
| Shake Milton | 2 years $10M | Philadelphia 76ers |
Subtractions edit
| Date | Player | Reason | New Team | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| July 1 | Taurean Prince | 1 year $4.5M | Los Angeles Lakers | [11] |
References edit
- ^ "2023 NBA Draft: Complete 1-58 order of picks". NBA.com. June 8, 2023. Retrieved June 8, 2023.
- ^ "NBA officially unveils format, groups for new in-season tournament". ESPN. July 8, 2023. Retrieved August 4, 2023.
- ^ "In-Season Tournament 101: Rules, format and how it works". National Basketball Association. July 8, 2023. Retrieved August 4, 2023.
- ^ "Timberwolves Acquire Draft Rights to Forward Leonard Miller from the San Antonio Spurs". www.nba.com. June 23, 2023. Retrieved June 23, 2023.
- ^ "Minnesota Timberwolves Acquire Guard Monte Morris from Detroit Pistons". NBA.com. Minnesota Timberwolves. February 8, 2024. Retrieved February 9, 2024.
- ^ "Timberwolves, center Naz Reid agree on 3-year, $42M deal". www.espn.com. June 25, 2023. Retrieved July 13, 2023.
- ^ "Timberwolves Re-Sign Nickeil Alexander-Walker". www.nba.com. July 10, 2023. Retrieved July 13, 2023.
- ^ "Timberwolves agree to 5-year extension with Anthony Edwards". www.espn.com. July 3, 2023. Retrieved July 13, 2023.
- ^ "Wolves, Jaden McDaniels agree to $136M contract extension". nba.com. October 24, 2023. Retrieved May 18, 2024.
- ^ "Timberwolves agree to deal with Troy Brown; add Shake Milton, source says". www.espn.com. June 30, 2023. Retrieved July 13, 2023.
- ^ "Los Angeles Lakers Sign Taurean Prince". www.nba.com. July 6, 2023. Retrieved July 6, 2023.
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