The Grizzlies have now lost two in a row, and it's starting to look like a five-team race for the fourth, fifth and sixth seeds in this year's NBA playoffs. The Wolves currently own the eighth seed, but they're only two games behind Memphis and half of a game behind the Clippers.
Key results Saturday in the NBA:
The Wolves (42-32) could still rise as high as the four seed in the Western Conference, but the Lakers' (45-29) win over the Grizzlies on Saturday gives them a three-game lead over Minnesota. The Grizzlies, Clippers, Timberwolves and Warriors are now all within two games of each other for the fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth seeds.
Key games Sunday in the NBA:
The Clippers face a tough test on Sunday, as 7.5-point underdogs on the road against the Eastern Conference-leading Cavaliers. The Wolves are 7.5-point favorites at home against Detroit and Golden State is favored by 12.5 points against the Spurs on the road.
If the Warriors and Timberwolves take care of business, and the Clippers lose, Golden State would move the sixth, Minnesota to seventh and the Clippers to eighth. If that scenario takes place, the Wolves would be a half of a game behind the Warriors, one game behind the Grizzlies and two behind the Lakers for fourth place.
The Timberwolves have a five-game road trip looming against the Nuggets, Nets, 76ers, Bucks and Grizzlies, so Sunday's game is one they might need to have in order to keep pace. The bottom half of the Western Conference might not look as daunting as it once was, but avoiding the play-in tournament would be big for Minnesota's postseason hopes.