Wikipedia

1998–99 Minnesota Timberwolves season

The 1998–99 Minnesota Timberwolves season was the 10th season for the Minnesota Timberwolves in the National Basketball Association.[1] Due to a lockout, the regular season began on February 5, 1999, and was cut from 82 games to 50.[2] During the off-season, the Timberwolves signed free agents Joe Smith,[3][4][5] and Malik Sealy,[6][5][7] and acquired second-year guard Bobby Jackson, and former Timberwolves center Dean Garrett from the Denver Nuggets in a three-team trade.[8]

1998–99 Minnesota Timberwolves season
Head coachFlip Saunders
General managerKevin McHale
OwnerGlen Taylor
ArenaTarget Center
Results
Record25–25 (.500)
PlaceDivision: 4th (Midwest)
Conference: 8th (Western)
Playoff finishFirst round
(lost to Spurs 1–3)
Stats at Basketball Reference
Local media
TelevisionKARE
KMWB
Midwest Sports Channel
RadioKFAN
< 1997–98 1999–00 >

With the addition of Smith, Sealy and Garrett, the Timberwolves got off to a fast start by winning eight of their first ten games of the regular season. In a three-team mid-season trade, the team traded Stephon Marbury, and Chris Carr to the New Jersey Nets, and acquired All-Star guard Terrell Brandon from the Milwaukee Bucks,[9][10][11] and also signed free agent and three-point specialist Dennis Scott, who was previously released by the New York Knicks.[12][13][14] Despite the addition of Brandon, the Timberwolves played below .500 in winning percentage for the remainder of the season, and finished in fourth place in the Midwest Division with a 25–25 record, winning a tie-breaker for the eighth seed in the Western Conference over the Seattle SuperSonics, who finished with the same regular-season record, and qualifying for their third consecutive NBA playoff appearance.[15]

Kevin Garnett averaged 20.8 points, 10.4 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 1.7 steals and 1.8 blocks per game, and was named to the All-NBA Third Team, while Brandon averaged 14.2 points, 9.8 assists and 1.9 steals per game in 21 games after the trade, and Smith provided the team with 13.7 points, 8.2 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game. In addition, Sam Mitchell provided with 11.2 points per game, while Anthony Peeler contributed 9.6 points and 1.3 steals per game, but only 28 games due to a strained left calf injury.[16][17] Off the bench, Sealy contributed 8.1 points per game in only 31 games, while Jackson provided with 7.1 points and 3.3 assists per game, Garrett, the team's starting center, averaged 5.5 points and 5.2 rebounds per game, and Tom Hammonds contributed 4.3 points and 2.8 rebounds per game.[18] Garnett finished in tenth place in Most Valuable Player voting,[19] and also finished tied in seventh place in Defensive Player of the Year voting,[19] while Smith finished in fourth place in Most Improved Player voting.[19]

In the Western Conference First Round of the 1999 NBA playoffs, the Timberwolves faced off against the top–seeded, and Midwest Division champion San Antonio Spurs, who were led by All-Star forward Tim Duncan, All-Star center David Robinson, and Sean Elliott. The Timberwolves lost Game 1 to the Spurs on the road, 99–86 at the Alamodome, but managed to win Game 2 on the road, 80–71 to even the series. However, the Timberwolves lost the next two games at home, which included a Game 4 loss to the Spurs at the Target Center, 92–85, thus losing the series in four games.[20][21][22] The Spurs would advance to the NBA Finals for the first time in franchise history, and defeat the 8th–seeded New York Knicks in five games in the 1999 NBA Finals, winning their first ever NBA championship.[23][24][25]

The Timberwolves finished 13th in the NBA in home-game attendance, with an attendance of 427,974 at the Target Center during the regular season.[18][26] Following the season, Scott signed with the Vancouver Grizzlies.[27] For the season, the Timberwolves added new black alternate road uniforms, which would remain in use until 2008.[28]

Draft picks

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Round Pick Player Position Nationality College
117Rasho NesterovičC SloveniaKinder Bologna (Italy)
246Andrae PattersonPF/C United StatesIndiana

Roster

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1998–99 Minnesota Timberwolves roster
Players Coaches
Pos. No. Player Height Weight DOB From
PG 7 Terrell Brandon 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 1970–05–20 Oregon
PF 15 Bill Curley 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 220 lb (100 kg) 1972–05–29 Boston College
PF 21 Kevin Garnett 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 220 lb (100 kg) 1976–05–19 Farragut Academy (IL)
C 22 Dean Garrett 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 225 lb (102 kg) 1966–11–27 Indiana
PF 20 Tom Hammonds 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 215 lb (98 kg) 1967–03–27 Georgia Tech
PG 24 Bobby Jackson 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1973–03–13 Minnesota
SG 31 Reggie Jordan 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 1968–01–26 New Mexico State
SF 42 Sam Mitchell 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 1963–09–02 Mercer
C 8 Rasho Nesterović 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 255 lb (116 kg) 1976–05–30 Slovenia
PF 45 Andrae Patterson 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 238 lb (108 kg) 1975–11–12 Indiana
SG 1 Anthony Peeler 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 208 lb (94 kg) 1969–11–25 Missouri
PG 26 James Robinson 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 1970–08–31 Alabama
SF 3 Dennis Scott 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 229 lb (104 kg) 1968–09–05 Georgia Tech
SF 2 Malik Sealy 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 1970–02–01 St. John's
C 32 Joe Smith 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 225 lb (102 kg) 1975–07–26 Maryland
Head coach
Assistant(s)
Legend
  • (DP) Unsigned draft pick
  • (FA) Free agent
  • (S) Suspended
  • Injured Injured

Roster
Updated: May 4, 1999

Regular season

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Season standings

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Midwest Division
 W L PCT GB Home Road Div
y-San Antonio Spurs 3713.740–21–416–917–4
x-Utah Jazz 3713.740–22–315–1015–3
x-Houston Rockets 3119.620619–612–1312–9
x-Minnesota Timberwolves 2525.5001218–77–1811–9
Dallas Mavericks 1931.3801815–104–218–12
Denver Nuggets 1436.2802312–132–235–16
Vancouver Grizzlies 842.160297–181–243–18
#
Western Conference
Team W L PCT GB
1 z-San Antonio Spurs3713.740–
2 y-Portland Trail Blazers3515.7002
3 x-Utah Jazz3713.740–
4 x-Los Angeles Lakers3119.6206
5 x-Houston Rockets3119.6206
6 x-Sacramento Kings2723.54010
7 x-Phoenix Suns2723.54010
8 x-Minnesota Timberwolves2525.50012
9 Seattle SuperSonics2525.50012
10 Golden State Warriors2129.42016
11 Dallas Mavericks1931.38018
12 Denver Nuggets1436.28023
13 Los Angeles Clippers941.18028
14 Vancouver Grizzlies842.16029
z - clinched division title
y - clinched division title
x - clinched playoff spot

Game log

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Playoffs

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1999 playoff game log
First Round: 1–3 (home: 0–2; road: 1–1)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation
Attendance		Series
1 May 9 @ San Antonio L 86–99 Kevin Garnett (21) Brandon, Garnett (8) Terrell Brandon (11) Alamodome
22,356		 0–1
2 May 11 @ San Antonio W 80–71 Kevin Garnett (23) Kevin Garnett (12) Terrell Brandon (9) Alamodome
22,494		 1–1
3 May 13 San Antonio L 71–85 Kevin Garnett (23) Kevin Garnett (12) three players tied (2) Target Center
17,444		 1–2
4 May 15 San Antonio L 85–92 Terrell Brandon (27) Kevin Garnett (6) Brandon, Garnett (6) Target Center
15,898		 1–3
1999 schedule

Player statistics

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Regular season

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Player POS GP GS MP REB AST STL BLK PTS MPG RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
Sam MitchellSF 50201,34418298351656126.93.62.0.7.311.2
Bobby JacksonPG 501294113516739335318.82.73.3.8.17.1
Dean GarrettC 49371,05425728304527021.55.2.6.6.95.5
Tom HammondsPF 490716136208721214.62.8.4.2.14.3
Kevin GarnettPF 47471,780489202788397737.910.44.31.71.820.8
Joe SmithC 43421,41835468326658833.08.21.6.71.513.7
Bill CurleyPF 35737251141797810.61.5.4.5.32.2
Andrae PattersonPF 35028465151971148.11.9.4.5.23.3
Malik SealySF 317731923630525123.63.01.21.0.28.1
Anthony PeelerSG 2828810847835627028.93.02.81.3.29.6
Reggie JordanSG 27129659411255111.02.21.5.4.21.9
Terrell Brandon†PG 21207128120539729833.93.99.81.9.314.2
Dennis Scott†SF 219532383212219125.31.81.5.6.19.1
Stephon Marbury†PG 18186616216729531936.73.49.31.6.317.7
James Robinson†PG 1702263538857713.32.12.2.5.34.5
Chris Carr†SG 1128112711237.41.1.6.1.12.1
Brian Evans†SF 5024212044.8.4.2.4.0.8
Paul Grant†C 408100022.0.3.0.0.0.5
Rasho NesterovićC 20308100815.04.0.5.0.04.0
Trevor WinterC 105300005.03.0.0.0.0.0
  • † Denotes player spent time with another team in the season. Stats reflect time with the Timberwolves only.

Playoffs

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Player POS GP GS MP REB AST STL BLK PTS MPG RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
Kevin GarnettPF 441704815788742.512.03.81.82.021.8
Terrell BrandonPG 441613028927740.37.57.02.3.519.3
Anthony PeelerSG 44125166402731.34.01.51.0.06.8
Joe SmithC 44120265283030.06.51.3.52.07.5
Dean GarrettC 4392165232223.04.01.3.5.85.5
Sam MitchellSF 41131146124032.83.51.5.3.510.0
Malik SealySF 407063112017.51.5.8.3.35.0
Bobby JacksonPG 4027420046.81.0.5.0.01.0
Tom HammondsPF 4018200044.5.5.0.0.01.0
James RobinsonPG 4010100032.5.3.0.0.0.8
Rasho NesterovićC 3029730089.72.31.0.0.02.7
Andrae PattersonPF 207420003.52.01.0.0.0.0

Awards and records

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References

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  1. ↑ 1998-99 Minnesota Timberwolves
  2. ↑ "NBA: Let The Games Begin!". CBS News. CBS News.com Staff. January 6, 1999. Retrieved December 15, 2022.
  3. ↑ Kawakami, Tim (January 23, 1999). "Lakers Propose Deal for Gugliotta". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 16, 2022.
  4. ↑ "NBA DEALINGS: McDyess, Divac and Smith Sign". Kitsap Sun. Associated Press. January 23, 1999. Retrieved January 2, 2022.
  5. 1 2 "NBA Transactions". The Washington Post. January 23, 1999. Retrieved January 30, 2023.
  6. ↑ "N.B.A.: ROUNDUP -- ATLANTA; Laettner Is Signed, Then Sent to Detroit". The New York Times. Associated Press. January 23, 1999. Retrieved November 16, 2022.
  7. ↑ "Team-by-Team Signings". Deseret News. January 23, 1999. Retrieved November 16, 2022.
  8. ↑ Wise, Mike (February 4, 1999). "PRO BASKETBALL; A Scrum for the Title". The New York Times. Retrieved June 28, 2022.
  9. ↑ Broussard, Chris (March 12, 1999). "Marbury, a Schoolyard Hero, Returns to Don a Nets Jersey". The New York Times. Retrieved May 25, 2022.
  10. ↑ "Marbury Traded to Nets; Timberwolves Get Brandon". Los Angeles Times. Associated Press. March 12, 1999. Retrieved July 1, 2022.
  11. ↑ "New Jersey Gets Marbury in 3-Team Trade". Tampa Bay Times. March 12, 1999. Retrieved November 17, 2022.
  12. ↑ "Basketball Briefs". Deseret News. March 18, 1999. Retrieved May 1, 2023.
  13. ↑ "Hungry Scott Stays Upbeat, Handles Temporary Gig with 'Wolves". Orlando Sentinel. March 21, 1999. Retrieved May 1, 2023.
  14. ↑ "Wolves Give Scott Extension". CBS News. Associated Press. March 27, 1999. Retrieved June 25, 2022.
  15. ↑ "1998–99 Minnesota Timberwolves Schedule and Results". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved June 26, 2021.
  16. ↑ "Peeler Is Sidelined by Injury". Los Angeles Times. Associated Press. March 17, 1999. Retrieved October 12, 2022.
  17. ↑ "Timberwolves Place Peeler on IL". United Press International. March 16, 1999. Retrieved November 15, 2022.
  18. 1 2 "1998–99 Minnesota Timberwolves Roster and Stats". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved June 26, 2021.
  19. 1 2 3 "1998–99 NBA Awards Voting". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved October 23, 2025.
  20. ↑ "Spurs Get Mad, Then Get Going". Los Angeles Times. Associated Press. May 16, 1999. Retrieved June 3, 2022.
  21. ↑ "Spurs Send T'Wolves Packing". CBS News. Associated Press. May 15, 1999. Retrieved July 27, 2021.
  22. ↑ "1999 NBA Western Conference First Round: Timberwolves vs. Spurs". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved February 9, 2023.
  23. ↑ Roberts, Selena (June 26, 1999). "Spurs Win Title as Knicks' Dream Ends". The New York Times. Retrieved May 30, 2022.
  24. ↑ Kawakami, Tim (June 26, 1999). "Spurs Tower Over NBA". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 25, 2022.
  25. ↑ "1999 NBA Finals: Knicks vs. Spurs". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved February 9, 2023.
  26. ↑ "1998–99 NBA Season Summary". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved January 23, 2026.
  27. ↑ Wise, Mike (October 31, 1999). "1999–2000 N.B.A. PREVIEW; The West Is Still the Best". The New York Times. Retrieved June 8, 2022.
  28. ↑ "Minnesota Timberwolves Uniform". Chris Creamer's Sports Logos Page. Retrieved July 15, 2021.

See also

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