Everyone does well when everyone does well. True in life, true in team sports.

While the NBA is littered with players pursuing their own individual dreams and goals, so often the path to everything everyone wants is simple — win.

It’s no different for the Timberwolves, who have — as they’ve reiterated all season — eight starter-caliber players in their primary rotation. Those eight were set to open Minnesota’s first-round series Saturday night in Los Angeles with the goal of advancing the Timberwolves deep into the postseason for a second straight season.

There are certainly individual benefits of doing so, as well.

Here’s a look at what’s on the line this postseason for each of Minnesota’s top eight:

Anthony Edwards

Already an ascending superstar who has comfortably earned top-10 player status. Becoming one of the game’s elite 3-point shooting threats has only raised what already appeared to be a sky-high ceiling.

But if Edwards wants to break into the top-five range and start becoming a serious, year-over-year MVP candidate and join Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Nikola Jokic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Luka Doncic and Jayson Tatum in discussions about the truly elite players in today’s game, he’ll need to prove he can win at the highest levels by playing and thinking the game.

An early exit this season will undoubtedly lead to offseason conversations about steps he needs to take to be the player he already believes he is.

Julius Randle

Randle would like to alter his current perception as a non-playoff player. He enters this year’s postseason shooting 34% from the field and 28% from 3-point range with more turnovers than assists in playoff competition.

If he performs well in these playoffs, and helps Minnesota advance because of it, it would set up Randle, 30, for an interesting decision this summer. He’s currently staring at a $31 million player option for next season, but if he helps key a deep playoff run, he could set himself up for another big, long-term payday by opting out of the final year of his contract and testing the market.

Rudy Gobert

The national consensus seems to be that Gobert isn’t a playoff player because all anecdotal memories of past postseason trips feature jump shots being made over the four-time Defensive Player of the Year’s outstretched arms.

In TheRinger.Com’s most recent top 100 player rankings, the center came in at No. 58. There’s  no shame in that, but it likely isn’t reflective of his value when Gobert is playing as he has over the final quarter of the season.

If Gobert can help Minnesota make another deep playoff push with his interior defensive dominance and control of the glass, it would be another step toward him receiving the national respect he deserves.

Jaden McDaniels

There isn’t as much at stake individually for the 24 year old, who’s already recognized as one of the game’s premier perimeter defenders. But a postseason in which he finally solves the Doncic riddle could put him at top of mind in his pursuit of a future Defensive Player of the Year award honor.

Mike Conley

As pure as it gets: At this point in his NBA career, the floor general is still in hot pursuit of that elusive NBA title. Sure, strong individual play could quell any concerns about the 37-year-old guard’s ability to contend with bigger, physical players as he ages. But Conley would likely take any route to a mid-June date with the Larry O’Brien Trophy.

Nickeil Alexander-Walker

A two-way wing with an increasingly reliable 3-point shot, Alexander-Walker should be highly sought after in this year’s free-agent market. This will be the first big-money contract of the wing’s career, and the better he plays on the ultimate proving ground, the more money he figures to make.

Plus, Alexander-Walker likely wants to remove the bad taste in his mouth after last year’s disappointing Western Conference Finals performance.

Naz Reid

Reid is a surefire bet to opt out of his $15 million player option for next season, sending the shooting big into free agency.

Re-signing Reid — who has gained fans around the league thanks to his diverse offensive skill set — has long been considered a top priority for Minnesota. But the forward would do well to put together a strong playoff run. It can only increase his competitive market.

Donte DiVincenzo

The wing is cemented in Minnesota’s long-term picture with a team-friendly contract that extends through the next two seasons. He’s a big piece of what the Wolves hope to do in the future, and he proved with his impressive playoff performances with the New York Knicks last spring that he’s capable of contending on this stage.

Little figures to change with these playoff results, but perhaps a strong performance could make a case that the sharpshooter should open next season in Minnesota’s starting five.

Minnesota Timberwolves forward Julius Randle (30) posts up against Utah Jazz guard Collin Sexton (2) during the first quarter of an NBA basketball game, Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rob Gray)

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A second man has been charged in a 2024 shooting that injured three teens on the last night of the Minnesota State Fair.

Abhor Abdiasis Mohamed, 19, of Minneapolis, was charged with three counts of aiding and abetting attempted murder and two counts of aiding and abetting drive-by shooting.

He was booked into Ramsey County jail on Friday and remains in lieu of $2 million bail. His first court hearing has not been scheduled.

Another man, Musharaf Zainab Arab, 19, was charged in October with three counts of aiding and abetting attempted murder and two counts of aiding and abetting drive-by shooting.

During an interview on Dec. 31, 2024, Arab told authorities that Mohamed organized and gathered the group that night to “hunt” Muddy Boy gang members. “Their primary target was a well-known Muddy Boy who was involved in a fight with Arab in 2022 and part of a group that attacked Mohamed at the Mall of America in 2022. Muddy Boys had also caused problems at Arab’s mother’s store,” the complaint said.

According to the criminal complaint, officers responded to a shots-fired call at the Dugsi Academy charter school parking lot in the 1000 block of North Snelling Avenue, about 10:20 p.m. Sept. 2. They found a 17-year-old who’d been shot in the leg.

The teen told police he was walking to his friend’s car with others after the Fair, heard gunshots and realized he’d been shot. He hid by railroad tracks until officers arrived. He said he did not know anyone who would want to hurt him.

The two other shooting victims arrived at area hospitals in private vehicles. A 17-year-old with a gunshot wound to his calf showed up at Regions, and an 18-year-old who’d been shot in the neck arrived at Hennepin County Medical Center.

They also told police they were shot in the parking lot and did not know why. One said he thought it was fireworks at first until he saw blood running down his neck. The other said he heard 10 gunshots in quick succession before they all scattered.

Officers recovered 53 spent casings in three different locations beneath the Snelling Avenue bridge, just east of the parking lot. Analysis of the casings showed they were fired by three guns.

Surveillance video showed a blue sedan park under the bridge. Several people got out, while the driver stayed put. Shooters fired at the three teens from the street, while another fired from a gravel area by the train tracks. The shooters got back inside the sedan, and it left.

Other surveillance video that caught the sedan showed it resembled a blue Volkswagen.

About three hours later, at 1:16 a.m. Sept. 3, deputies were sent to a drive-by shooting at a BP gas station in Little Canada, just east of Interstate 35E along Little Canada Road.

Surveillance video showed a blue sedan stopped at the intersection of Centerville Road and Little Canada Road. The sedan circled back and went out of sight. About two minutes later, gunshots were fired at four men who stood outside cars at the gas station pumps. The men fled, apparently uninjured.

Deputies recovered seven casings near the gas station.

Investigators discovered the sedan was a Volkswagen Jetta owned by Arab, the complaint says, and that it had been involved in a gun-pointing incident involving three suspects Aug. 27 in Minneapolis.

Location data of Arab’s cellphone place it in the area of both shootings, the complaint says.

Analysis of the casings show the same 9mm handgun and .40-caliber handgun were used in both shootings.

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The Gophers’ football program is expected to go back into the NCAA transfer portal to find another quarterback after Zach Pyron decided to leave the U last week.

Pryon, who received fewer team reps than other backups during the final two open spring practices, entered the portal Thursday and immediately landed at South Alabama on Friday.

It was a quick U-turn for Pyron, who transferred from Georgia Tech to Minnesota for spring semester in January. With 19 games of collegiate experience, he represented a veteran QB option for Minnesota in 2025.

The 2024 starter, senior Max Brosmer, is hoping to be picked in the April 24-26 NFL Draft.

Going into spring ball in late March, Gophers head coach P.J. Fleck billed the set of 15 total practices as a fresh quarterback competition between frontrunner Drake Lindsey, Pyron and others. But Lindsey’s role as the presumed starter quickly came into focus.

Backups Max Shikenjanski and Dylan Wittke received more reps than Pyron in the two sessions open to reporters on April 8 and 15. Shikenjanski is a third-year walk-on from Stillwater, Wittke a third-year transfer from Virginia Tech. True freshman Jackson Kollock of Laguna Beach, Calif., and redshirt freshman walk-on Jeremiah Finaly are further down the depth chart.

The Gophers are high on Lindsey, a four-star recruit from Fayetteville, Ark., but the 6-foot-5 signal caller played sparingly in only three games during his true freshman year. He completed 4 of 5 passes for 50 yards and a touchdown in 2024.

Wittke had mop-up duty in one game last season, while the other three have yet to play a game in college.

The NCAA transfer portal remains open for players through Friday, though players can commit to new schools after that deadline. It’s unclear how quickly the U will pursue and land another, presumably veteran, QB for next fall.

Over three years at Georgia Tech, Pyron had completed 88 of 155 passes for 995 yards, five touchdowns and seven interceptions from 2022-24.

Another consideration is how college football team rosters are expected to be capped at 105 players going into this fall. Taking into account incoming freshmen, Minnesota is currently over that limit and will need a handful of players to move on.

The Gophers open next season against Buffalo on Aug. 28 at Huntington Bank Stadium.

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LAS VEGAS — In a town where the all-you-can-eat buffets are legendary, and you can get a shrimp cocktail for less than $10 at any hour of day or night, the local hockey club’s coach just wants his team to be hungry.

We are less than two years removed from Bruce Cassidy directing the Vegas Golden Knights to the franchise’s first Stanley Cup title, in just its sixth season of existence, having joined the NHL as an expansion team in 2017. When thinking about his team’s latest foray into the playoffs, and a first-round series versus the Minnesota Wild, Cassidy couldn’t help but reflect back on what they did in 2023, and the internal fire it takes to win 16 postseason games.

He said the hunger his team had two seasons ago, led by a bunch of players and a coach that had never before reached the game’s pinnacle, is the difference-maker beyond the 82-game regular season.

“That’s kind of what we have to re-claim. That needs to be equal to the other team, unless you’re way better,” Cassidy said. “When you come into the playoffs, it’s 16 teams that are not that different. Some obviously have advantages over others, but they’re all good hockey teams. So, that hunger and competitiveness has to be at the top of the list.”

Vegas finished the regular season with a 50-22-10 record, tops in the Pacific Division and second behind Winnipeg in the Western Conference. Three of those 50 wins came against the Wild. But in their guests from Minnesota, the Vegas coach sees some things his team will need to counter, and a potential advantage for the Golden Knights if the Wild take penalties.

“I think they’re good at keeping the puck out of their net, and that’s usually a product of not allowing the rush game to get going. I think they’re very good at suppressing rush chances and not giving you odd-man rushes or easy opportunities,” he said. “You’re going to have to get inside, you’re going to have to work and create your offense through O-zone play … get on the power play, that’s an advantage. They’ve given up some goals on the PK. But the rush game, I think, is what they’re really good at.”

For the Wild’s part, their coach raves about the size of the Vegas defenders, and says that getting to the net might be Minnesota’s biggest challenge if they are to pull off an upset and get to the second round, something the Wild have not done since 2015.

“First and foremost, they’re a pretty strong defensive structure team,” John Hynes said on Friday. “They have one of the bigger D-cores in the league, and when you look at their defensive numbers, they’re a team that is responsible without (the puck). From an offensive perspective, they have high-end talent and they can hit you in multiple ways.”

The Knights’ offense is keyed by Jack Eichel, the 2015 Hobey Baker winner from Boston University who languished in Buffalo early in his career, then came to Vegas and was a cornerstone of the 2023 Stanley Cup run. Despite missing five regular-season contests, including one against the Wild, he finished in the NHL’s top 10 statistically with 28 goals and 66 assists in 77 games.

Eichel’s lone hat trick of the season came on March 25 at Xcel Energy Center in a 5-1 win over the Wild.

While preparing his team to face the Wild, Cassidy said that the first 60 minutes of any playoff series is the classroom where you learn how the next three to six games are going to go.

“I think the series starts after Game 1. You see what you are a little bit, and what they are and away we go. ‘I didn’t see this coming, I saw this coming, yeah, this is who they are,’ ” Cassidy said. “And then you start making a few adjustments and then you go along. I can give them all they want on Minnesota. They’re going to give us all about Vegas. But once you start playing, you start to truly know and get into it. So, you’ve got to be careful you don’t overload. I have learned that.”

After a 50-win season, the Knights are coming in as the confident favorite, and their coach said he’s not trying to give them too much to think about regarding Kirill Kaprizov or Brock Faber or Filip Gustavsson.

“We’re going to play our game and let them adjust to us. That’s not a bad mindset,” Cassidy said. “They want to play hockey. They’ve done it 82 times this year. They want to play Vegas Golden Knights’ hockey and they don’t want to hear every detail about Minnesota.”

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