Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Portland Trail Blazers
Date: March 20th, 2026
Time: 7:00 PM CDT
Location: Target Center
Television Coverage: FanDuel Sports Network – North
Radio Coverage: KFAN FM, Wolves App, iHeart Radio
The Timberwolves spent so much of this season making the simple feel complicated that when they finally take care of business the way they’re supposed to, it almost catches you off guard.
No Anthony Edwards. No Naz Reid. Second night of a back-to-back. A team that has spent months occasionally
tripping over its own shoelaces in games it should control. And yet on Wednesday night, Minnesota handled the Utah Jazz like a mature, serious basketball team that understood the assignment, respected the opponent enough to not mess around, and went out and got the win.
The Wolves had already done the hard part Tuesday night by surviving the Phoenix Suns without Edwards and creating some desperately needed breathing room between themselves and the play-in line. But that win only meant something if they could follow it up 24 hours later against a tanking Utah team that, by all appearances, is more interested in ping pong balls than victories. We’ve seen too many versions of this season to assume Minnesota would automatically connect those dots. We’ve seen the Wolves beat a good team, feel great about themselves, and then immediately face-plant into a game they had no business losing. So the fact that Wednesday never really felt in doubt was meaningful.
The Jazz were missing multiple starters, but even against an opponent that compromised, Minnesota still had to show up and execute, especially without its best player and without Reid’s usual offensive spark off the bench. To the Wolves’ credit, they did. They played like a team that has finally realized there are only so many games left to mess around with before the standings lock in and the consequences get real.
Ayo Dosunmu stepped into the lead guard role and looked comfortable doing it. Julius Randle continued the strong stretch that has quietly started to build over the last few games. And Rudy Gobert, facing his former team, was an absolute menace. He defended the rim, vacuumed up rebounds, got involved offensively, and took advantage of Utah’s lesser frontcourt.
Now comes the next test, and this one won’t be quite as forgiving.
Portland rolls into Target Center next. The Blazers are young, scrappy, and still jockeying for position in the Western Conference play-in picture. Portland has already proven twice this season that it can make life uncomfortable for the Wolves. Opening night required Anthony Edwards heroics just to avoid a miserable start to the season. The most recent meeting at the end of February was a clutch-time three-point affair that required 34 points from Edwards. Clearly Portland won’t be intimidated by the Wolves, especially now that Ant is out.
With the schedule about to turn ugly again, this is one they absolutely have to bank. Starting Sunday, the Wolves walk into a three-game stretch against the Celtics, Rockets, and Pistons. That is not the time to be looking back at a missed opportunity against Portland and wondering why you made life harder than it needed to be. It’s still unclear whether Edwards will be available for any of those games, and that makes Friday night all the more important. Against a team Minnesota is more talented than, on its home floor, with a chance to extend the streak to three and stack more cushion before the fire gets hot again, there really isn’t room for excuses.
So with that, here are the keys to the game.
#1 – Continue keeping the ball moving.
One of the more interesting developments during Edwards’ absence is how much more democratic the offense has looked. When Ant is on the floor, there are naturally going to be stretches where the game tilts toward letting the superstar cook. That’s part of having an All-NBA-caliber player. But without Ant, the Wolves have been forced to find offense the old-fashioned way through ball movement, spacing, cuts, extra passes, and trust. The results have actually been encouraging. The lanes open up. The role players stay engaged. The defense has to chase instead of load up. Against a young Portland team with active legs and plenty of energy, Minnesota can’t let the offense sink into isolation sludge. They need to keep sharing it, keep whipping it side to side, and make the Blazers defend for the full possession instead of standing around and waiting for one guy to go one-on-one.
#2 – Gobert needs to keep feasting.
Utah showed again how valuable it is to get Rudy involved early and often, not just because of the points, but because of the emotional effect it has on his whole game. When Gobert feels like he’s part of the offense and is getting touches around the rim, it seems to light up everything else. He rebounds harder. He rotates quicker. He defends with more edge. Minnesota should absolutely continue leaning into that. While Donovan Clingan can certainly be a nuisance, this still ought to be another game where Gobert can dominate the paint, create second-chance points, and turn the basket area into a no-fly zone. If the Wolves are getting high-efficiency offense from Rudy while also getting vintage paint protection, they’re a much more dangerous team, even without Edwards.
#3 – Ayo and Bones need to push pace and fill the backcourt void.
This is where Edwards’ absence, while obviously not ideal, may actually be giving Minnesota something useful. Dosunmu is getting a chance to settle in, get real on-ball reps, and figure out where he fits in the ecosystem. Bones Highland is getting the kind of meaningful minutes that can either sharpen him or expose him, and lately it’s been more of the former. Both guys have the ability to get downhill, push tempo, and provide enough scoring punch to keep the offense from collapsing into one-dimensional sludge. The Wolves don’t need either player to become Anthony Edwards, but they do need both of them to keep taking advantage of this runway so that when Ant does come back, Minnesota has a clearer, deeper, more useful rotation heading into the playoffs.
#4 – Jaden McDaniels has to stay aggressive offensively.
Jaden’s touch count and assertiveness always seem to swing the overall feel of the team. When Jaden is just hanging out, taking the occasional catch-and-shoot three, and treating offense like a side quest, the Wolves become much easier to guard. But when he’s cutting hard, getting downhill, and using his length to get into the paint for high-efficiency looks, the offense starts to breathe differently. Without Edwards, those extra opportunities are there for him. McDaniels needs to look at those openings and attack them.
#5 – Julius Randle needs to keep being the leader.
The Phoenix game felt like the loud reminder that Big Julius can still carry an offense. The Utah game felt like the quieter confirmation that he doesn’t always need to score 30 to control things. He was active defensively, jumping passing lanes and creating transition opportunities, and he played with the kind of composed force this team needs from him. Portland is not Utah. This game will require more from him. The Blazers won’t just fold because Minnesota put on their jerseys. If the Wolves want to finish off the four-game season sweep of Portland and head into next week’s schedule gauntlet with momentum, they will need an A-game from Julius again.
That’s the story of tonight. It’s not glamorous. It’s not some giant statement game. It’s not a nationally televised heavyweight fight where the whole league is watching. But it’s the kind of game real teams bank instead of letting it slip away. For a Wolves team trying to hold its place in the standings while waiting for its superstar to heal, that matters every bit as much as the flashy ones.
The encouraging thing is that, over the last two games, Minnesota has looked a little steadier and more mature. That doesn’t mean all the problems are gone or that the identity crisis is over, but it does mean the Wolves have a chance to make something useful out of Edwards’ absence. It’s an opportunity to integrate Ayo more fully, to give Bones real rhythm, to remind Gobert and Randle how dominant they can be, and to build the kind of collective momentum that can matter in April.
Now they just need to not step on their shoelaces again.
