**Minnesota Timberwolves at Memphis Grizzlies**
**Date:** January 31st, 2026
**Time:** 7:00 PM CST
**Location:** FedEx Forum
**Television Coverage:** FanDuel Sports Network - North
**Radio Coverage:** Wolves App, iHeart Radio
If there was one major takeaway from the Wolves’ demolition of the defending champs on Thursday night, it’s this: Minneosta absolutely has the proverbial light switch. And not the “sometimes we lock in, sometimes we don’t” light switch that every NBA team claims to have in January. I mean the full-on, _how are these even the same people?_ version—where you watch them torch Oklahoma City Thunder on the second night of a back-to-back, build a 20-point lead, and control the game basically start-to-finish… and then you think back to Sunday afternoon’s sleepwalking fiasco against Golden State Warriors and you feel like you’ve been watching two different franchises sharing the same jerseys.
And sure, you can try to explain it away. Emotions. Turmoil. The off-court noise that’s been swirling around Minneapolis. Fine. Maybe that’s part of it. But the deeper issue is that the “off” games didn’t start last week. They’re sprinkled all over this season like landmines: the abysmal effort against Chicago Bulls, the fourth-quarter collapse against the Utah Jazz, the late-December face plants against Brooklyn and Atlanta. Those were _choices_. Those were “we didn’t feel like it” nights. And that’s why the Wolves are sitting where they’re sitting: the No. 5 seed out West, a half-game behind Houston Rockets for the four spot, rather than hanging with Denver and San Antonio in that scrum for the 2 and 3 seeds.
So yes, it probably sounds like I’m being harsh and doom-and-gloom after the most impressive win of the season. But it’s only because the OKC game was a reminder of what this team is when it decides to be serious. When the defense is connected. When the ball moves. When the pace is controlled. When the Wolves stop treating possessions like optional. When they play like a team that has been to back-to-back Western Conference Finals and remembers what that feels like. Because when they play like that… they’re a nightmare.
And here’s the other reason that Thursday mattered: it reframed the fear. Early in the season, the biggest nightmare scenario was ending up on OKC’s side of the bracket and getting wiped off the map by the champs. But now? The Wolves have taken two of three from OKC. They’ve looked good doing it. And if they had hit free throws in that first matchup (yes, I’m dragging us back to that crime scene again) they might honestly be 3–0 against them. The Thunder weren’t at full strength Thursday, missing key guys, and we don’t get to pretend that doesn’t matter. But the larger point stands: Minnesota can absolutely take OKC to the wire and impose their will. Anthony Edwards is one of the few guys in the league who can hold serve with the offensive robot that is Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and when Minnesota is rolling, they can make the Thunder look small and uncomfortable in a way not many teams can.
Which brings us to the dangerous part.
Because after a win like that, after a statement game, after the crowd buzz, after the “we’re back” energy, here comes the ultimate letdown spot. The Wolves now get a weekend trip to Memphis to take on the Grizzlies without Ja Morant and Zach Edey, with a couple more rotation guys floating around as questionable game-time decisions. This is exactly the kind of game where Minnesota, especially _this_ version of Minnesota, can start reading its own press clippings, take a few sloppy possessions early, and accidentally turn the night into a street fight. And the worst part? If they do that, Thursday’s masterpiece starts to feel like a wasted work of art. This is the “make it count” game. You don’t beat the champs and then hand it back by losing to a wounded opponent two days later. That’s how you end up in the play-in and spend April pretending it’s “not a big deal.”
So with that, here are the keys to the game.
**#1: Don’t play down to the competition—because Memphis has already proven they’ll take your lunch money if you let them.**
This is where the Wolves have to stop treating urgency like a special occasion. Memphis, especially shorthanded Memphis, should not be allowed to hang around. And yet the Wolves have had this recurring habit this season: the moment the opponent looks “boring,” Minnesota starts acting like the game is a suggestion. They can’t do that here. The whole point of Thursday was rediscovering what “serious basketball” looks like: shrinking the floor, defending the perimeter with real resistance, rotating like you actually like your teammates, protecting the paint, and making the other team earn everything. If the Wolves come out flat and start giving Memphis easy drives, open threes, and second chances, then they’re basically telling everyone, the fans, the conference, themselves, that Thursday was a one-night rental.
**#2: Dominate the paint like you’re supposed to—because this is a size matchup that should tilt hard in Minnesota’s favor.**
One of the underrated parts of the OKC win was how physical Minnesota played. They didn’t treat it like a track meet. They treated it like a “we’re bigger than you and we’re going to remind you” game. Now they get a Memphis team still without Edey, and the Wolves should smell blood. Rudy Gobert, Julius Randle, and Naz Reid need to own the glass and own the restricted area. Gobert should be living on lobs and put-backs. Randle has to punish mismatches without turning into a black hole. Naz has to keep doing what he’s been doing in stretching the floor, forcing bigs to move, and making Memphis choose between protecting the rim and respecting the pop. This is a game where Minnesota can win with grown-man basketball if they actually commit to it.
**#3: Do the little things that stop a “letdown game” from turning into a crisis—turnovers, free throws, and basic professionalism.**
This is the annoying part, because it’s the same lecture every time. But it’s the truth: Minnesota’s losses during this ugly stretch have been loaded with self-inflicted damage. Sloppy live-ball turnovers that turn into easy points. Missed free throws that turn into a tight fourth quarter you never should’ve had to play. Possessions where the Wolves just… stop making the simple play. If you want to be a top seed, you don’t live on the edge against undermanned teams because you can’t complete the fundamentals. You bank these games by taking care of the ball and converting the freebies. Not glamorous, not fun, but it’s how you stop the season from spiraling.
**#4: Keep the shooting quality high—because the OKC flamethrower night only matters if you keep generating good looks when the percentages cool off.**
Nobody should expect the Wolves to shoot like they did against OKC every night, especially with the schedule tightening and the legs getting heavier. But the key isn’t “make every three.” The key is “take the right threes.” Thursday worked because the ball moved, the defense collapsed, and Minnesota got clean looks, shots that didn’t require a miracle or a heat-check ego trip. Against Memphis, the Wolves can’t fall back into the bad habit of hero-ball possessions that turn into contested jumpers with four guys watching. If the ball is hopping, Minnesota doesn’t need a perfect shooting night. They just need a steady diet of good shots and the discipline to live with the results.
**#5: The Edwards-Randle tone-setting has to be consistent—because this team follows their mood like it’s a weather pattern.**
Ant was phenomenal against OKC. He set the tone early, he controlled the emotional temperature, and he made it clear the game was going to be a battle. Randle had a rougher outing, and that’s okay, everybody has those games. But now, against Memphis, he needs to get right in the exact way this Wolves team needs him: play physical, make quick decisions, facilitate when the doubles come, and punish when they don’t. And Ant has to keep doing the thing that separates contenders from pretenders: bring the same edge when the opponent isn’t glamorous. This team becomes whatever their two stars decide it’s going to be. If they’re locked in, everyone locks in. If they’re casual, the whole thing gets casual.
And that’s the real maturity test here.
Thursday night was the kind of win that can change a season’s emotional trajectory. It reminded everyone that Minnesota can absolutely beat the best team in the league when they’re connected. But the NBA doesn’t hand out trophies for “best single-game performance in late January.” The league rewards consistency. And the Wolves are about to hit the 50-game mark, which is usually when you stop being what you _think_ you are and start being what you _actually_ are.
They’ve proven they can flip the switch. That’s real.
Now comes the harder part: proving they can keep it on. Because when April and May arrive, there’s no “we didn’t feel like it tonight.” There’s no letdown spot. There’s no hiding. If Minnesota wants to make a real run, if they want to get back to that third straight Western Conference Finals, if they want do something this franchise has never done and get to the last round, then games like this Memphis one can’t be treated like chores.
They have to be treated like steps.
See More:
* [Timberwolves Game Discussion](/timberwolves-game-previews)