In A Heated Battle For The 1 Seed, The Timberwolves Peg ‘Unfavorable’ Availabilities For Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns

The Western Conference finale will be quite the spectacle for fans, with three teams battling it out for the top seed, Minnesota Timberwolves, Oklahoma City Thunder, and Denver Nuggets. However, Minnesota might have the hardest time achieving the top spot, among them, as they face off against Play-off hopeful Pheonix Suns.

The Wolves might not be after the top spot, as the team recently listed Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns as ‘Questionable’ on the injury report for their upcoming contest. While Edwards was tagged with the “illness” card, Towns continues to face problems with his meniscus.

KAT has been sidelined since March 4, incurring his current injury during a match-up against the Trail Blazers. He briefly returned during last night’s contest against the Hawks, putting up 11 points, 5 rebounds, and 8 assists. Before bowing out to his meniscus injury, Towns was having quite the year, averaging 22.1 points, 8.4 rebounds, and three assists in 60 games, while also hitting a career-high 42.3% on 3-pointers.

While Towns might be rested against the Suns, Edwards would have a lesser excuse for not showing up during the season finale. Overall, Edwards has been a blessing for the team, as the former lottery pick has led the team in Towns’s absence, even averaging 25.9 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 5.1 assists on 45.9% shooting for the season.

The race for the top seed in the West

With only a game left for most teams, discussions surrounding possible standings have begun. The top spot in the Western Conference is yet to be decided, but the Wolves hold a tiebreaker over both OKC and Denver, in the case where all three teams win their respective games, the OKC Thunder will be taking the top spot, followed by the Timberwolves, with Denver taking the third spot.

The Timberwolves will face off against the Suns, while Denver suits against the Grizzlies for Monday night’s contest. The Thunder won’t have an easy time either as they face off against Luka Doncic and The Mavericks for their season finale.

Taking a bird’s eye view of the matter, it’s highly probable that all three teams win their contest on Monday, with Denver being the team with the easiest match-up. While OKC will definitely have its hands full against the Mavericks, the Suns will present themselves as the toughest challenger in the upcoming matches, as the Arizona side will look to take the sixth seed from the Pelicans.