In a twist of fate, the undefeated Timberwolves have no shot of capturing the NBA Summer League title. Instead, they’ll face off against the Rockets to close out a memorable run by Minnesota’s young stars.
Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Houston Rockets
Date: July 19th, 2025
Time: 4:30 PM CDT
Location: Pavilion, Las Vegas, NV
Television Coverage: NBA TV
Let me set the scene.
You’re 4-0 in Summer League. You’ve got one of the most talented rosters in Vegas. You do everything right. You win. You play defense. You give your bored fanbase something to talk about and a reason to get excited.
And what’s your reward?
You don’t even get a chance to play for the Summer League title.
That’s right. Thanks to the NBA’s tie-breaking formula, your undefeated Timberwolves are heading to the Summer League Consolation Dumpster while four other 4-0 teams get to battle for the banner.
Now, I know what you’re thinking. “It’s just Summer League. Who cares?” But let me tell you something:
WE CARE.
This is Minnesota sports. Do you know how long it’s been since the Wolves sniffed a trophy of any kind? We’ll take any hardware we can get. Mini Larry O’Brien replica? Bring it. A Summer League chip? Engrave it. A plaque from Vegas that just says “Nice Try”? We’ll hang it next to the 2004 Midwest Division banner like it’s the Sistine Chapel ceiling.
And look, I’m not saying the Wolves are the best Summer League team. But they’re definitely not the worst 4-0 squad. The Kings? Raptors? The Hornets? Come on.
Here’s the kicker: the team that just won the actual NBA championship, Oklahoma City, gets a tiebreaker over us. I’m sorry, but if you hoisted the real Larry O’Brien last month, you should politely bow out of a Summer League tie-breaker by default. Let the rest of us eat, Thunder Nation. You already took the good stuff.
And don’t even get me started on point differential. You know how we break ties in pickup basketball? We shoot free throws. You know how we break ties in Madden? We rematch. You know how we break ties in Vegas? We flip a chip, play rock-paper-scissors, or ask whoever’s closest to the table wearing sunglasses to make a call. But this? Rewarding teams for running up the score in glorified scrimmages? Malarkey. Absolute garbage. It’s like judging a pizza contest by crust crispiness instead of flavor. Sure, it matters… but that’s not the point.
Anyway. Rant over. Mostly.
The Timberwolves close out Summer League against the 0-4 Rockets. So yeah—Minnesota should win this one. Go 5-0. Drop the mic. Walk off the court like Jordan in ’98.
As for the game itself?
Terrence Shannon Jr. could potentially sit yet again. And I get it. He’s dominated for three games straight and already looks like the kind of guy who could torch a second unit for 14 points in 12 minutes in March. Why risk a twisted ankle just to score on another future G Leaguer? He’s passed the test. Put the man on ice and let him get ready for real rotation minutes in October.
Rob Dillingham, on the other hand? Fire up the projector, let’s roll film. We need to see more. Because right now, he’s the only real point guard option behind Mike Conley. Dilly looked solid against the Suns—good pace, creative passes. If he can keep limiting turnovers and hitting floaters, we might be cooking with gas.
And then there’s Joan Beringer. He’s everywhere—rebounding, contesting shots, making the right pass. You know how you watch a game and your buddy keeps pointing at one guy like, “That dude just gets it”? That’s Beringer. He just gets it.
So yeah, no title game. No banner. No champagne-filled water bottles. But that doesn’t mean this Summer League didn’t matter.
We saw growth. We saw glimpses. We saw talent. And for a team that’s trying to finally make a real run in 2025–26, that matters.
Let the Kings or Raptors or whoever go celebrate in a glorified high school gym. We’ll take the 5-0 record, the development curve, and a whole lot of optimism back to Minnesota.
And when Joan Beringer blocks Nikola Jokic in April or Rob Dillingham torches the Lakers’ second unit in February, remember where it all started:
Vegas. Summer League. The team that got screwed.
But looked damn good doing it.