Minnesota Timberwolves face off with Denver Nuggets in big game Wednesday

A big win over Memphis on Monday segues into the Timberwolves’ biggest game in over a decade on Wednesday. 

Minnesota will meet with Denver in a matchup that will determine which team will grab the final spot available in the NBA Western Conference Playoffs. 

“Nothing has ever come easy for Minnesota, so it’s only right that it comes down to one game that means the most,” Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns said.

A win would mean the wolves are in the postseason for the first time since 2004, long before players like Andrew Wiggins and Karl Anthony Towns showed up in town.

But like many fans across Minnesota, this long drought has weighed on the young players, too, in a short time. 

“This franchise history is part of me,” Towns said. “This franchise has given me the start to my career. It’s given me the life that I’ve always wanted to live.”

“I take those things very personally,” Towns added, referring to the team’s extended absence in the NBA Playoffs. 

The pressure to perform is on if the Wolves hope to move on in the 2017-18 season, but keeping it simple is their sole focus.

“We have to lay it all on the line because every possession means something, but it’s still just basketball,” Timberwolves guard Jamal Crawford said. “If you psych yourself out too much, you’ve already put yourself behind the eight-ball.”

Tip-off between the Timberwolves and Nuggets is at 7 p.m. on Wednesday and will be televised locally on FOX Sports North-Plus.