Wolves at Mavs an option for Christmas Day

On Christmas Day, the Wolves may face a rematch of the Western Conference final.

After a strong playoff run, there was increasing speculation that the Wolves would be featured on Christmas Day this season. NBA insider Marc Stein had previously reported that the Wolves were “seriously considering” playing on both Opening Day on TNT and Christmas Day.

Now, in his latest newsletter, Stein reports that the NBA has its sights set on a possible opponent for the Wolves on Christmas Day – the team that beat them in the West Finals: the Dallas Mavericks.

“One of the suggested Christmas options is rumored to be Timberwolves at Mavericks: Anthony Edwards vs. Luka Dončić,” Stein wrote. “Dallas played Phoenix on Christmas last season; Minnesota has only played on Christmas twice in the club's 35-year history (2016 and 2017).”

Dallas beat Minnesota 4-1 in the Western Conference finals this season. The Wolves lost their four games against the Mavericks by a total of 34 points. On their way to the Western Conference finals, the Wolves swept the Phoenix Suns in Round 1 before narrowly defeating the defending champion Denver Nuggets in seven games and winning a dramatic Game 7 in Denver.

The Timberwolves have historically struggled to secure a prime-time spot, but with the growing popularity of star guard Anthony Edwards and a strong 2023-24 season, it will be difficult for the NBA to keep Minnesota off nationally televised games for the foreseeable future.