ORLANDO – The Timberwolves' games against Orlando and Detroit will have a lot to say concerning whether the Wolves max out their odds of retaining a top-three pick in the upcoming NBA draft or relinquish it to Golden State.
Any suspense over whether the Wolves would remain one game back of Orlando in the standings vanished in the first few minutes of Sunday's 128-96 victory when the Wolves opened a 15-point lead after the first quarter, doubled it by halftime and led by as much as 43.
Hard as it may be to believe for a team playing the lottery, the Wolves just had more talent on the floor than the ragged Magic, which traded its best players at the deadline and is fully engaged in the race to the bottom in a way the Wolves eschewed this season.