After trading for Jimmy Butler, the Golden State Warriors are 12-2 and look the part of the hottest team in the league. Butler fits in perfectly next to Stephen Curry and Draymond Green, and the Warriors look like a team that can run the table and make some noise in the Western Conference.
However, the honeymoon phase might end at any moment, and more established teams simply have a better chance. One team got off to a slow start but has since found their footing, and some recent additions are playing out of their minds.
The Minnesota Timberwolves are tied with the Golden State Warriors for the sixth-best record in the West, and only one of those teams will be able to avoid the Play-In Tournament and make the playoffs outright.
"Right now we have to start taking them serious," Perkins said Wednesday night on "Sports Center" of the Timberwolves after Minnesota's 115-95 win over the Denver Nuggets. "They're more serious than the Golden State Warriors to me when it comes to being a threat in the Western Conference."
The Wovles are riding a six-game win streak and are 11-0 in the last games played by Julius Randle, who is averaging 18.5 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 5.5 assists during that span while shooting fairly well from the floor.
During the last six games, fellow offseason pickup Donte DiVincenzo is averaging 15.7 points while shooting 52.1 percent from 3-point range.
"And now what we're watching is a Minnesota Timberwolves team that has found their identity again, and that's getting it done defensively," Perkins continued. "We have them lock up the Denver Nuggets tonight, holding them to 40-percent shooting, 20 percent from 3-point range. But again, it comes down to Anthony Edwards leading the charge. We know he's going to put up points and put up buckets, but when you watch Anthony Edwards engaged on the defensive side of things, picking up 94 feet, the rest will follow their best player."
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The Wolves look dangerous and bought-in, and like the Warriors, they have a lot to prove, meaning the playoff race in the West will go down to the wire.
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This story was originally published March 13, 2025 at 4:59 PM.