The Timberwolves topped the Grizzlies in a crucial Western Conference seeding battle — but the biggest beneficiaries were the Warriors

Western Conference Playoff Race Tightens as Timberwolves Defeat Grizzlies; Warriors Emerge as Surprise Winners

With the NBA regular season nearing its final stretch, the Western Conference playoff picture is becoming increasingly chaotic — and thrilling. Every day brings new shakeups in the standings, especially among the teams jockeying for position in the crowded middle tier. As of Monday, the five teams ranked between the No. 4 and No. 8 seeds were all tied in the loss column, creating a high-stakes atmosphere where each game has major implications.

On Thursday night, two of those playoff hopefuls — the Minnesota Timberwolves and Memphis Grizzlies — went head-to-head in a crucial Western Conference showdown. Led by a sensational 44-point performance from rising star Anthony Edwards, the Timberwolves dominated the Grizzlies with a 141-125 victory. The win was significant for Minnesota, who continue to solidify their playoff positioning, but the ripple effects of that result were felt far beyond the two teams on the court.

The biggest winner of the night? Surprisingly, it wasn’t the Timberwolves — it was the Golden State Warriors.

Just one day earlier, the Warriors had suffered a stunning last-second loss to the San Antonio Spurs, courtesy of a buzzer-beater from Harrison Barnes. That defeat momentarily pushed Golden State down into the Play-In Tournament zone. However, Minnesota’s win over Memphis helped the Warriors bounce back up to the No. 6 seed, putting them in control of their own destiny with two games left to play.

If the Warriors can take care of business against the struggling Portland Trail Blazers on Friday and defeat the surging Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday, they will clinch a guaranteed playoff berth, bypassing the uncertainty of the Play-In Tournament. Their final seeding remains undecided, but the path is now clear: win out, and they’re in.

The remaining schedule for these teams is filled with pivotal matchups that could drastically alter the playoff landscape. On Friday, the Grizzlies will attempt to rebound from their loss as they face off against the Denver Nuggets — another team that made headlines by firing their head coach late in the season. Both Memphis and Denver are now scrambling to avoid slipping into the Play-In zone themselves.

Sunday’s Warriors-Clippers clash may be the most anticipated game of the weekend, featuring two red-hot squads that have looked like legitimate threats in the West. Since the trade deadline, Golden State has posted a 22-7 record — the second-best in the Western Conference during that span. The Clippers, not far behind, are 20-9 over the same stretch with an impressive +8.9 net rating, trailing just behind the Warriors’ +9.5. These are two teams that, under different circumstances, could be squaring off in the Western Conference Finals. Instead, they could be looking at a first-round matchup — or worse, a battle for survival in the Play-In Tournament.

The playoff picture is still far from settled, with numerous tiebreakers and scenarios in play. The Timberwolves have completed all of their head-to-head matchups within this competitive group and are poised to finish strong with favorable games remaining against the Brooklyn Nets and Utah Jazz. Meanwhile, the rest of the field is locked in a fierce battle for positioning.

With two massive slates of games still ahead — Friday and Sunday each feature 15 matchups — the final days of the regular season promise to be unpredictable, intense, and possibly historic. For fans, it’s must-watch basketball. For teams, it’s a last chance to secure their postseason fate in a Western Conference race that remains wide open.