In the first half of this season, there was a sense that for as well as the Wolves played in going 25-16, they didn't have a lot of wins against top teams. They beat Oklahoma City twice, but the Thunder has taken a while to round into shape. They beat a depleted Spurs team (and also lost to San Antonio once). They lost their only meeting with Boston and their only meeting with Golden State.

In the second half of the season, the Wolves schedule includes four games against Houston, two with Golden State, two with Toronto, two with Cleveland, one with Boston and one with San Antonio.

Those are the only six teams in the NBA with a better record than the Wolves right now. Minnesota faced those teams a combined four times in the first half of the year. That number jumps to 12 times in the second half of the season — all in a 30-game span that started Monday against Cleveland and ends March 18 vs. Houston.

Read Michael Rand's blog at startribune.com/randball. mrand@startribune.com.