Minnesota Timberwolves at Washington Wizards Date: January 4th, 2026 Time: 5:00 PM CST Location: Capital One Arena Television Coverage: FanDuel Sports Network – North Radio Coverage: KFAN FM, Wolves App,
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New Year, New Wolves?
The undefeated-in-2026 Minnesota Timberwolves roll into Washington, D.C. for the second game of their back-to-back to start the new year. They do so coming off of a 10-point victory in South Beach wasn’t just another tally in the win column. It was a full-on intervention for a team that had spent the holidays sleepwalking its way through the most dispiriting stretch of the season. Brooklyn embarrassed them. Atlanta ran them out of the building. The Wolves looked lethargic, unmotivated, and, most alarmingly, completely uninterested in playing defense. They weren’t just losing. They were losing without resistance.
So after getting their doors blown off by the Hawks, Wolves fans were left hoping that Chris Finch and his staff would use the two-day break to do something drastic: reconnect this team with its identity.
From the opening tip in Miami, it was obvious that message landed.
The team we saw on the floor yesterday did not resemble the holiday Wolves. The defense was sharp. The intensity was real. Minnesota stopped letting teams parade to the rim. The perimeter defense tightened, which allowed the bigs to handle business inside. The entire structure of the game flipped, and the timing couldn’t have been more important, because the offense wasn’t necessarily there to save them.
Minnesota shot well below average from beyond the arc at just 29% from three. Donte DiVincenzo went a painful 1-for-8. This was not a pretty offensive performance. But instead of panicking and settling for bad jumpers, the Wolves did something that championship-caliber teams do when the shot isn’t falling: they attacked.
They drove the ball. They drew contact. They lived at the free-throw line. And then, crucially, they made those free throws.
This wasn’t a “everything is clicking” win. This was a grind-it-out, get-your-hands-dirty win. And if the Wolves hadn’t brought that defensive effort, they would have lost by double digits. Instead, they walked out of Miami with a win that, in my book, ranks as the third-best of the season, behind the electric OKC win and the gritty road win at Golden State, because of what it represented.
It showed self-awareness.
It showed accountability.
It showed the team finally matching effort with talent.
But here’s the thing: moral victories only matter if they lead to permanent change.
And that’s why today’s game in Washington suddenly feels enormous.
This Is the “Prove It” Game
A loss to Miami would’ve hurt.
A loss to Washington after beating Miami would be worse.
This is the exact spot where the Wolves have failed too often: they play a great game, earn praise, then regress immediately against an inferior opponent. The Wizards don’t have Miami’s talent. They don’t have their cohesion. They don’t have Erik Spoelstra.
If Minnesota brings the same aggression and focus they showed in Miami, they should make easy work of this Wasthington team. If they don’t, if this becomes a fourth-quarter game on the second night of a back-to-back, the fatigue and heavy legs could swallow them.
This is the fork in the road: lesson learned… or more of the same?
Keys to the Game
1. Set the Tone Early
This cannot be a slow burn. Minnesota needs to come out, assert dominance, and make Washington submit. The Wolves must avoid letting this drift into the fourth quarter, where tired legs and randomness invite disaster.
2. Keep the Ball Moving
What worked in Miami offensively wasn’t shooting, it was cohesion. Less hero ball. More movement. More drive-and-kick. More finding the open man. That offensive flow has to continue.
3. Dominate the Post
Rudy Gobert set the tone against Bam Adebayo. Washington doesn’t have anything close to that interior presence. Expect Big Ru to stay on his tear: erasing shots, vacuuming rebounds, finishing lobs, collecting put-backs. Naz Reid, meanwhile, quietly delivered his best defensive effort of the season against Miami, which is a massive development. If Minnesota controls the paint, this game tilts fast.
4. Hit Your Threes
The Wolves survived Miami while shooting under 30% from deep. That luxury may not repeat itself. DiVincenzo’s shot has to normalize. If Minnesota pushes into the mid-30s from three while maintaining the defensive edge, Washington simply won’t have the firepower to keep up.
5. Ant Sets the Culture
Anthony Edwards looked genuinely pissed last week, and rightly so. He walked off early in Atlanta. His postgame comments reflected frustration. In Miami, he responded the only way a leader can: with effort on both ends. That has to continue. This is not a “coast” game. This is a statement game. The Ant-Man has to set the tone and hunt it.
The Bigger Picture
This is how seasons turn.
Not with one heroic night.
But with the game that proves it wasn’t an accident.
If Minnesota handles Washington, they move to 2-0 in 2026, stabilize the locker room, and finally start looking like the version of themselves they believed in back in October and not the sleepy, unfocused group that tossed games away in December.
New year.
New stretch.
New opportunity to become the team this roster is capable of being.
Or… another chance to step on their own shoelaces.
We’ll find out Sunday in the nation’s capital.
