10 games to circle on 2024-25 Minnesota Timberwolves schedule

The full schedule for the upcoming Minnesota Timberwolves season was released on Thursday, featuring 25 nationally televised games and early-season rematches with last season playoff foes Denver and Dallas.

There are a lot of interesting wrinkles to the schedule, not only the 14 back-to-backs but also the few instances of three matchups against one team in four games, among other things.

Related: Timberwolves schedule features 25 national TV games, early-season rematches with Dallas and Denver

While there will be many fun angles to explore during the upcoming season, here are the 10 most intriguing games on Minnesota’s schedule at first glance.

• Oct. 22 at LA Lakers: It’s hard to kick off the season in a more exciting way than on NBA Opening Night in Los Angeles on national TV. LeBron James and Anthony Davis, former Wolves Jarred Vanderbilt and D’Angelo Russell, sharpshooter Dalton Knecht — the 17th overall pick in this summer’s NBA Draft — and company led by new coach JJ Redick. You know the Lakers will be excited and so will the Wolves. It should be a fun one.
• Oct. 29 vs. Dallas Mavericks: Excuse me for glossing over the home-opener vs. Toronto but a rematch of the Western Conference Finals against Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving and newly acquired Klay Thompson in the fourth game of the season might be a bit more exciting. After struggling and bowing out of the playoffs in five games to the Mavericks last season, you can bet Anthony Edwards and the Timberwolves will look to make an early statement in this one. TNT is apparently thinking the same thing, as they’ll broadcast this matchup.
• Nov. 1 vs. Denver Nuggets: Yet another early-season contest against a top Western Conference foe and a 2023-24 playoff rematch on national TV. The Nuggets lost guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope over the offseason while adding a couple interesting college guys in Trey Alexander and PJ Hall (DaRon Holmes II suffered a torn Achilles and won’t play this season) as well as veterans Russell Westbrook and ex-Wolf Dario Saric. If it’s half as thrilling as Game 7 of their second-round playoff series last season, this one will be pretty good. Denver may also be looking to send a message that they’re still the team to beat in the division/conference.
• Nov. 10 vs. Miami Heat: Timberwolves fans will definitely want to give a warm welcome to old friends Jimmy Butler and Kevin Love. In all seriousness, though, these are typically pretty fun matchups, as the Heat also feature Olympian Bam Adebayo and intriguing rookie Kel’el Ware. Minnesota went 2-0 against Miami last season; can they do it again?
• Dec. 8 at Golden State Warriors: Not only will this be a fun matchup against Steph Curry, Draymond Green, Buddy Hield, Andrew Wiggins and ex-Wolf Kyle Anderson — Minnesota’s second in a row against the Warriors and one of possibly three matchups with them in four games — but it’ll also be the final part of a grueling slate before the NBA Cup quarterfinals start, which may provide little relief if the Wolves make a run in the in-season tournament. In the two weeks leading up to this matchup, the Wolves will have played Boston, Houston, Sacramento, the Lakers, the Clippers twice and the Warriors once. That stretch will be an early-season test for Minnesota.
• Dec. 25 at Dallas Mavericks: Christmas Day in Dallas? You’d better believe it. It’s not only the second of three regular-season matchups between these two but just the Wolves’ third-ever Christmas Day game and first since 2017. A national game on Christmas afternoon may force some Timberwolves fans to rearrange their plans but (hopefully) the game should make that worth it.
• Jan. 2 vs. Boston Celtics: A visit to Target Center by the reigning champs after what will surely be an exciting New Year’s Eve in Oklahoma City, hopefully these two can put on a show like they did last season when both games went to overtime and the home team won each.
• Feb. 24 at Oklahoma City Thunder: Not only what figures to be an important game for standings purposes, as its the final regular-season contest between the Wolves and Thunder, but it’s also the back-end of a back-to-back with OKC and Minnesota’s third matchup with them in four games. Last season, the teams split the season series against each other. This one could be big.
• March 21 vs. New Orleans Pelicans: Friday night at Target Center, second game in a row against Zion Williamson and the Pels, it could have big impact on the standings if things go well for the new-look New Orleans squad, which added Dejounte Murray to the core of Zion, Brandon Ingram and CJ McCollum. If they don’t, the Pelicans could blow their squad up.
• March 28 vs. Phoenix Suns: It was tempting to pick the first game between these two (Nov. 17) after Minnesota swept the Suns in the first round of the playoffs last season, but the final one actually seems more intriguing. There are only eight games left for Minnesota in the regular-season after this matchup, another nationally televised game on NBA TV, so it’ll surely be meaningful. However, it’s also the Target Center return of Tyus Jones, Monte Morris and Josh Okogie, who should provide solid support of Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal, who will be led by new Suns coach Mike Budenholzer.

There are so many other good matchups on the schedule, including LeBron James’ possible final visit to Target Center, the Paul George-strengthened 76ers matchups and the Tom Thibodeau’s Knicks games just to mention a few.

We’re less than 10 weeks away from another Wolves season, and hopefully it’ll be even more exciting than this past year’s.