Timberwolves Just Had the Best Month of Any Non-Football Pro Team in MN Sports History

Just in case you haven’t been paying attention, the Minnesota Timberwolves are really, really good. Their 14-4 record has them sitting 1.5 games ahead of any other team in the Western Conference and tied with the Boston Celtics for the best record in the NBA.

Minnesota Timberwolves historic November

And all of that combined for a November to remember. Last month, the Wolves went 13-2, which was best in the NBA. But they made more history than that, locally. According to OptaStats (StatsPerform.com), that .867 winning percentage is the best of any non-football major sports team in Minnesota history.

The @Timberwolves went 13-2 (.867) in November.

That's the best record ever by a Minnesota-based MLB, NBA or NHL team in a single month (min. 15 games). pic.twitter.com/hjxjU4pKPB

— OptaSTATS (@OptaSTATS) December 1, 2023

On its face, this statistic is eye opening enough. But a deeper dive makes it even more remarkable. Remember, non-football Minnesota sports history goes back much further than the modern day Timberwolves and Wild. It includes the Twins back to 1961, North Stars (1967-1993) and Minneapolis Lakers (1947-1960) too.

Related: How to Stream Timberwolves and Wild Games with Bally Sports App Not Working

2023 Timberwolves > 1950’s Lakers Dynasty…?

Yeah, the same Minneapolis Lakers team that won 5 NBA titles between 1949 and 1954 and played in another in 1959, before moving to Los Angeles after the 1960 season. That’s right, even the first dynasty in NBA history never had a month as good as what the 2023-24 Minnesota Timberwolves just did in November.

The previous best winning percentage (or points percentage, for NHL) by a Minnesota MLB/NBA/NHL team in a month with 15+ games was .813, done 3 times:

.813 (13-3) – Minneapolis Lakers, Jan 1950
.813 (13-3) – Minneapolis Lakers, Jan 1951
.813 (12-2-2) – Minnesota Wild, Apr 2022

— OptaSTATS (@OptaSTATS) December 1, 2023

The best part about the Wolves’ November might not even be their record, but instead, look at some of the teams they beat on their way to 13-2. That list includes defending NBA Champion (and current West 2nd seed) Denver and East leading Boston, along with some of the other top NBA teams like, Philly, OKC and New York.

Oh, and they got Golden State twice. If you had any doubt about whether or not this Timberwolves team really has a shot to do damage deep into the Western Conference playoffs in a handful of months, they sold you a lot of hope in November.