The 2002-03 Minnesota Timberwolves season was marked by solid performance, finishing with a 51-31 record, securing third place in the Midwest Division. The team was led by superstar Kevin Garnett, who delivered an exceptional season, averaging 23 points, 13.4 rebounds, and 6 assists per game, earning him an All-NBA First Team selection.
Key roster additions included Troy Hudson, who provided reliable scoring and playmaking as the starting point guard, and Wally Szczerbiak, who contributed significantly with his shooting prowess. Despite their regular-season success, the Timberwolves faced challenges in the playoffs.
Matched against the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round, Minnesota pushed the series to six games but ultimately fell short, losing 4-2. This marked the seventh consecutive first-round playoff exit for the franchise, underscoring the need for further roster improvements to advance deeper into the postseason in subsequent years.
- Regular Season Record: 51-31
- Playoff Result: Western Conference First Round: 2-4
Minnesota Timberwolves Roster and Stats for 2002-03 Season
| Regular Season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | GP | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | 3P% | GP | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | 3P% |
| Kevin Garnett | 82 | 23.0 | 13.4 | 6.0 | 1.4 | 1.6 | 28.2 | 6 | 27.0 | 15.7 | 5.2 | 1.7 | 1.7 | 33.3 |
| Wally Szczerbiak | 52 | 17.6 | 4.6 | 2.6 | 0.8 | 0.4 | 42.1 | 6 | 14.5 | 5.0 | 2.2 | 1.0 | 0.2 | 21.4 |
| Troy Hudson | 79 | 14.2 | 2.3 | 5.7 | 0.8 | 0.1 | 36.5 | 6 | 23.5 | 2.0 | 5.5 | 1.3 | 0.0 | 43.6 |
| Rasho Nesterović | 77 | 11.2 | 6.5 | 1.5 | 0.5 | 1.5 | 0.0 | 6 | 7.0 | 5.0 | 0.7 | 0.2 | 0.7 | 0.0 |
| Kendall Gill | 82 | 8.7 | 3.0 | 1.9 | 1.0 | 0.2 | 32.2 | 6 | 5.2 | 2.2 | 1.2 | 0.7 | 0.2 | 50.0 |
| Anthony Peeler | 82 | 7.7 | 2.9 | 3.0 | 0.9 | 0.2 | 41.0 | 6 | 4.8 | 3.5 | 3.0 | 0.7 | 0.2 | 12.5 |
| Joe Smith | 54 | 7.5 | 5.0 | 0.7 | 0.3 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 5 | 2.8 | 1.2 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.0 |
| Rod Strickland | 47 | 6.8 | 2.0 | 4.6 | 1.0 | 0.1 | 9.1 | 6 | 4.7 | 1.0 | 2.8 | 0.7 | 0.3 | 0.0 |
| Gary Trent | 80 | 6.0 | 3.6 | 1.0 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 6 | 2.3 | 1.2 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Marc Jackson | 77 | 5.5 | 2.9 | 0.5 | 0.3 | 0.4 | 100.0 | 6 | 8.3 | 5.5 | 1.3 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.0 |
| Reggie Slater | 26 | 3.1 | 1.2 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Loren Woods | 38 | 2.1 | 2.5 | 0.5 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 33.3 | 2 | 1.0 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Mike Wilks | 31 | 2.0 | 1.0 | 1.6 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 22.2 | 4 | 0.8 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 100.0 |
| Igor Rakočević | 42 | 1.9 | 0.4 | 0.8 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 41.7 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Minnesota Timberwolves in the 2003 NBA Playoffs
Playoffs First Round vs. Los Angeles Lakers
In the 2003 NBA Playoffs, the Minnesota Timberwolves faced off against the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round. Despite a valiant effort from Kevin Garnett, the Timberwolves struggled against the Lakers' dynamic duo of Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant, ultimately losing the series in six games. This marked another early playoff exit for Minnesota, highlighting their need for additional star power to advance deeper in the postseason.
| Date | Opponent | Result | High Scorer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 20, 2003 | vs. Los Angeles Lakers | L 117-98 | |
| Apr 22, 2003 | vs. Los Angeles Lakers | W 119-91 | |
| Apr 24, 2003 | @ Los Angeles Lakers | W 114-110 | |
| Apr 27, 2003 | @ Los Angeles Lakers | L 102-97 | |
| Apr 29, 2003 | vs. Los Angeles Lakers | L 120-90 | |
| May 01, 2003 | @ Los Angeles Lakers | L 101-85 |
Minnesota Timberwolves 2002-03 Regular Season Game Log
Here is the game log for the 2002-03 season for the Minnesota Timberwolves.
| Date | Opponent | Result | High Scorer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 30, 2002 | vs. Denver Nuggets | W 83-77 | |
| Nov 01, 2002 | vs. Orlando Magic | W 111-105 | |
| Nov 02, 2002 | @ Indiana Pacers | L 87-80 | |
| Nov 04, 2002 | @ New Jersey Nets | L 106-82 | |
| Nov 05, 2002 | vs. Washington Wizards | W 90-86 | |
| Nov 07, 2002 | vs. Milwaukee Bucks | W 114-110 | |
| Nov 09, 2002 | vs. Boston Celtics | L 105-99 | |
| Nov 11, 2002 | @ San Antonio Spurs | L 91-75 | |
| Nov 13, 2002 | @ New Orleans Hornets | L 102-98 | |
| Nov 15, 2002 | @ Memphis Grizzlies | W 99-95 | |
| Nov 16, 2002 | vs. Indiana Pacers | L 107-101 | |
| Nov 19, 2002 | vs. Memphis Grizzlies | W 110-106 | |
| Nov 20, 2002 | @ Atlanta Hawks | W 103-93 | |
| Nov 23, 2002 | vs. New Jersey Nets | L 96-82 | |
| Nov 24, 2002 | @ New York Knicks | W 106-88 | |
| Nov 27, 2002 | vs. Sacramento Kings | W 90-74 | |
| Nov 29, 2002 | @ Utah Jazz | L 95-77 | |
| Dec 01, 2002 | @ Los Angeles Lakers | W 110-107 | |
| Dec 03, 2002 | @ Sacramento Kings | L 98-86 | |
| Dec 05, 2002 | @ Golden State Warriors | W 114-98 | |
| Dec 07, 2002 | @ Los Angeles Clippers | L 104-88 | |
| Dec 09, 2002 | @ Denver Nuggets | W 92-84 | |
| Dec 12, 2002 | vs. Atlanta Hawks | W 113-95 | |
| Dec 14, 2002 | vs. Portland Trail Blazers | L 98-92 | |
| Dec 17, 2002 | vs. Los Angeles Lakers | W 96-80 | |
| Dec 18, 2002 | @ Philadelphia 76ers | L 99-94 | |
| Dec 20, 2002 | @ Boston Celtics | L 108-99 | |
| Dec 21, 2002 | vs. Houston Rockets | W 98-86 | |
| Dec 27, 2002 | @ Chicago Bulls | W 113-100 | |
| Dec 28, 2002 | @ Detroit Pistons | L 106-82 | |
| Dec 30, 2002 | vs. Phoenix Suns | W 104-98 | |
| Jan 04, 2003 | vs. Utah Jazz | L 105-97 | |
| Jan 07, 2003 | @ Houston Rockets | L 94-86 | |
| Jan 08, 2003 | vs. Golden State Warriors | W 102-95 | |
| Jan 10, 2003 | vs. Sacramento Kings | W 115-109 | |
| Jan 12, 2003 | @ Toronto Raptors | L 105-91 | |
| Jan 13, 2003 | vs. Denver Nuggets | W 89-75 | |
| Jan 15, 2003 | @ Los Angeles Clippers | W 95-64 | |
| Jan 17, 2003 | @ Golden State Warriors | L 107-98 | |
| Jan 18, 2003 | @ Portland Trail Blazers | W 104-98 | |
| Jan 20, 2003 | vs. Toronto Raptors | W 89-81 | |
| Jan 22, 2003 | vs. Seattle SuperSonics | W 96-91 | |
| Jan 24, 2003 | vs. Los Angeles Clippers | W 88-85 | |
| Jan 25, 2003 | @ Washington Wizards | W 97-89 | |
| Jan 27, 2003 | vs. San Antonio Spurs | W 106-95 | |
| Jan 30, 2003 | @ Dallas Mavericks | L 112-109 | |
| Jan 31, 2003 | @ Houston Rockets | L 121-101 | |
| Feb 02, 2003 | vs. Philadelphia 76ers | W 99-91 | |
| Feb 04, 2003 | vs. Houston Rockets | W 103-89 | |
| Feb 11, 2003 | vs. Dallas Mavericks | W 100-98 | |
| Feb 12, 2003 | @ Cleveland Cavaliers | W 102-91 | |
| Feb 14, 2003 | vs. New Orleans Hornets | W 114-93 | |
| Feb 16, 2003 | vs. Golden State Warriors | W 109-102 | |
| Feb 17, 2003 | @ Utah Jazz | L 109-97 | |
| Feb 19, 2003 | @ Denver Nuggets | W 85-77 | |
| Feb 21, 2003 | vs. Detroit Pistons | W 103-96 | |
| Feb 23, 2003 | vs. Phoenix Suns | W 99-97 | |
| Feb 24, 2003 | @ Milwaukee Bucks | W 117-114 | |
| Feb 26, 2003 | vs. Utah Jazz | W 92-85 | |
| Feb 28, 2003 | vs. Cleveland Cavaliers | W 118-95 | |
| Mar 02, 2003 | vs. New York Knicks | W 99-90 | |
| Mar 04, 2003 | @ Seattle SuperSonics | L 92-83 | |
| Mar 05, 2003 | @ Sacramento Kings | L 96-95 | |
| Mar 07, 2003 | @ Los Angeles Lakers | L 106-96 | |
| Mar 09, 2003 | @ Phoenix Suns | W 105-98 | |
| Mar 10, 2003 | @ Dallas Mavericks | W 92-83 | |
| Mar 12, 2003 | vs. San Antonio Spurs | L 111-99 | |
| Mar 14, 2003 | vs. Los Angeles Lakers | L 106-99 | |
| Mar 16, 2003 | vs. Portland Trail Blazers | W 111-95 | |
| Mar 18, 2003 | vs. Memphis Grizzlies | W 96-80 | |
| Mar 21, 2003 | @ San Antonio Spurs | W 101-94 | |
| Mar 25, 2003 | vs. Miami Heat | W 108-91 | |
| Mar 27, 2003 | @ Orlando Magic | L 110-107 | |
| Mar 28, 2003 | @ Miami Heat | L 111-84 | |
| Mar 30, 2003 | vs. Dallas Mavericks | L 119-95 | |
| Apr 02, 2003 | vs. Seattle SuperSonics | W 91-86 | |
| Apr 05, 2003 | @ Phoenix Suns | L 111-94 | |
| Apr 06, 2003 | @ Portland Trail Blazers | W 97-78 | |
| Apr 09, 2003 | @ Seattle SuperSonics | L 100-92 | |
| Apr 11, 2003 | vs. Los Angeles Clippers | W 106-90 | |
| Apr 13, 2003 | vs. Chicago Bulls | W 119-95 | |
| Apr 16, 2003 | @ Memphis Grizzlies | W 95-87 |