Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Memphis Grizzlies Date: December 17th, 2025 Time: 7:00 PM CST Location: Target Center Television Coverage: NBA TV, FanDuel Sports Network – North Radio Coverage: KFAN FM, Wolves
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One More Tune-Up Before the Real Test
With Oklahoma City looming on Friday night like the final boss in a video game you haven’t quite leveled up for yet, the Timberwolves get one last chance to tighten the screws when the Memphis Grizzlies roll into Target Center. On paper, this feels like a classic “handle your business and move on” game. In practice, because this is the Timberwolves, it’s a flashing yellow light that demands attention.
Minnesota comes into this one after two solid wins against Golden State and Sacramento, a respectable consolation prize after missing out on the NBA Cup. What made those wins more impressive is who wasn’t on the floor. Anthony Edwards and Mike Conley both missed time with injuries, and Rudy Gobert was unavailable for half of the Kings game due to personal reasons. All three are listed as game-time decisions again, meaning the Wolves could once more find themselves shorthanded against the Grizz.
Ideally, Gobert and Edwards are back, not just because Minnesota needs them to win this game, but because the Wolves desperately need reps with their full core before Oklahoma City arrives. Still, regardless of who suits up, this is not the night to look past the opponent. Minnesota already learned that lesson the hard way earlier this season, when they overlooked Sacramento before a Thunder matchup and paid for it.
Memphis isn’t the same team that ended Minnesota’s season in the 2022 playoffs, but they remain a dangerous, physical, unpredictable group. They’ve proven more than capable of turning sloppy focus into a losing affair, as evidenced by the two two-point games they snatched from the Wolves in January. If Minnesota wants win number 18, they’re going to have to earn it.
Keys to the Game
1. Win the Battle at the Rim
This game starts in the trenches. Memphis presents a real interior challenge with Jaren Jackson Jr., and if Ja Morant gets downhill, things can snowball quickly. If Gobert is available, his presence changes everything. He’s the anchor, the eraser, and the tone-setter. If he’s not, the responsibility of owning the paint shifts squarely to Julius Randle and Naz Reid. The Wolves need to be disciplined defensively, gang-rebound, and avoid giving Memphis extra possessions. Second-chance points are how underdogs stay alive. Minnesota can’t allow that to happen on its home floor.
2. Play Real Team Basketball
The last time Minnesota really handled Memphis in April, it wasn’t because someone went nuclear. It was because the Wolves played connected basketball and produced a franchise-record 52-point third quarter. Ant and Randle put pressure on the rim, collapsed the defense, and kicked out to shooters. The ball moved. Memphis’s shaky perimeter defense got exposed.
That formula still applies, especially if Edwards remains limited or unavailable. Until it’s clear Ant is a full go, Minnesota has to lean into collective offense by sharing the ball, making the extra pass, and trusting spacing. This is not the night for slow, stagnant possessions that let Memphis load up defensively.
3. Make It Rain from Three—But the Right Way
Minnesota has the shooters to bury Memphis if the looks are clean. Naz Reid has been a revelation off the bench lately, and Donte DiVincenzo, Jaden McDaniels, and Randle have all chipped in from deep the past two games. Memphis doesn’t defend the arc particularly well, and that’s where the Wolves can separate.
The key is how those shots come. Drive-and-kick threes. Inside-out basketball. Not early-clock heat checks or contested pull-ups. If Minnesota generates rhythm looks and knocks them down, this game tilts quickly.
4. Get Something From the Young Guys
With injuries potentially still hovering, Minnesota’s young rotation players matter. Jaylen Clark continues to be a defensive tone-changer. Terrence Shannon Jr. is finishing better around the rim. Rob Dillingham remains uneven but flashes at times. Against Sacramento, Bones Hyland showed he can still spark offense when called upon.
The Wolves don’t need heroics from these guys, but they do need competence. If Minnesota is missing key starters again, those minutes can’t be wasted. Solid defense, smart decisions, and energy off the bench could be the difference between comfort and chaos.
5. Stay Locked In and Finish the Job
This is the most important key, and the most frustrating one, because it shouldn’t need repeating. Minnesota has regressed back to their bad habit of sleepwalking through first halves, assuming talent will bail them out late. Memphis is not the team to test that theory against.
Ja Morant, Jaren Jackson Jr., and company can get hot fast. If you give them confidence and a lead, you’re suddenly fighting uphill. That means playing hard from the opening tip: defending, rebounding, diving on loose balls, and valuing possessions.
Why This Matters
Yes, Oklahoma City is the marquee matchup this week. But that game means very little if Minnesota stumbles here. The West is too tight, the margin for error too thin. You don’t climb the standings by circling “big games”. You do it by banking wins like this one.
Handle Memphis. Keep the vibes good. Get healthy. Then turn the page and deal with the Thunder.
Professionalism first. Redemption later.
