The upcoming NBA game between the Minnesota Timberwolves and Golden State Warriors on Saturday, January 24th, has reportedly been postponed by the league.
According to Shams Charania, the NBA announced the decision to postpone the game after growing tensions in the city of Minneapolis between citizens and federal agents.
“The Timberwolves-Warriors game in Minneapolis has been postponed by the NBA, sources tell ESPN, in wake of a man shot and killed Saturday in a confrontation with federal agents in the city. It’s the second shooting there in a week, third this month, involving a federal officer,” Charania wrote in a post on X.
While earlier in the season the NBA first delayed, and then postponed a game between the Chicago Bulls and Miami Heat due to condensation on the court after adverse weather conditions, the news for the Timberwolves-Warriors game comes under extremely different circumstances.
Timberwolves-Warriors Game Postponed
The game between Minnesota and Golden State was previously set to highlight a Saturday slate of NBA games held on national television. Along with that contest, originally set to begin at 5:30 pm EST, a game between the New York Knicks and Philadelphia 76ers, and a matchup between the Los Angeles Lakers and Dallas Mavericks were to highlight rivalry weekend.
Though Charania’s reporting indicates the game will now be postponed, the insider added that the league has already set a time and date for the rescheduled contest.
“Timberwolves-Warriors has been rescheduled to Sunday at 5:30 pm ET in Minneapolis — turning this into a back-to-back Sunday and Monday between the two teams,” he wrote in a follow-up post on X.
As he mentioned, news of a man shot by federal agents and growing unrest is behind the announcement by the league. There have also been city-wide protests around the city of Minneapolis over the past few days and weeks.
Warriors And Timberwolves News
Though the game isn’t set to begin on the originally scheduled date, both the Warriors and Timberwolves are at very crucial points of their respective seasons.
For Golden State, the season-ending ACL injury to Jimmy Butler has drastically changed their outlook on the second half of the year. The trade rumors surrounding the team and Jonathan Kuminga remain prevalent, but for the time being, he remains in Golden State until they can find a suitor with a strong enough trade package for the front office to want back.
The Warriors have been linked to several players through this trade season, highlighted by Giannis Antetokounmpo, Trey Murphy, Andrew Wiggins, and Michael Porter Jr. For now, they haven’t made any trades, while Kuminga, Butler, and Seth Curry all remain on the injury report.
For the Timberwolves, they have played well recently, led by franchise star Anthony Edwards. Though he wasn’t named an All-Star starter, Edwards is having one of the best seasons of his career, and alongside Julius Randle, Rudy Gobert, and a strong supporting cast, they are 27-18 and remain title contenders in the West.
Minnesota has been linked to Coby White in trade rumors as they hope to add a proven point guard before the deadline to take the playmaking responsibilities away from Edwards, Donte DiVincenzo, and the aging Mike Conley.
But for now, the clash between the two Western Conference teams will be pushed back 24 hours.
Timberwolves-Warriors Game Postponed After Fatal Minneapolis Shooting