Timberwolves start season Wednesday against Raptors: What you need to know
MINNEAPOLIS — After an exciting offseason focused on retaining and developing the team's young players, the Minnesota Timberwolves start the regular season Wednesday night.
Everything fans need to know about the Wolves' season opener is below.
Who are the Timberwolves playing?
The Wolves are starting the season on the road against the Toronto Raptors.
The Raptors finished 41-41 last year, missing the playoffs. The team fired coach Nick Nurse, who led them to a championship in his first year as coach but lasted just five seasons at the helm. New coach Darko Rajakovic has never led a team before, having risen up as an assistant coach for the Oklahoma City Thunder, Phoenix Suns and Memphis Grizzlies.
What time is the game?
Tipoff is at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday night.
Who is starting for the Timberwolves and Raptors?
The Raptors' starting five are likely to be Dennis Schroder, O.G. Anunoby, Scottie Barnes, Pascal Siakam and Jakob Poeltl.
For the Wolves, Anthony Edwards, Karl-Anthony Towns, Rudy Gobert and Mike Conley are entrenched starters. Jaden McDaniels, who signed a contract extension earlier this week, will miss the season opener with an injury. Kyle Anderson or Troy Brown Jr. is likely to start in his place.
Who is favored?
Betting markets favor the Timberwolves in this one, according to SportsLine.
Both teams went undefeated in the preseason.
What are the expectations for the Timberwolves this season?
The Wolves made the playoffs the last two season, the first time they did so in consecutive years since the Flip Saunders era.
They were knocked out in the first round both times, last year by the eventual NBA champion Denver Nuggets.
The Wolves finished last season with a 42-40 record, good for eighth in the Western Conference. With largely the same roster, a fully healthy Towns and the continued rise of Edwards, a playoff appearance should be the minimum expectation for the Wolves. If they hope to be taken seriously among the NBA's top teams, they'll need to prove it by winning a series, which they haven't done since the 2003-2004, when they went to the Western Conference finals.
What were the Timberwolves' big offseason moves?
The Wolves signed both Edwards and McDaniels to long-term deals, locking up two of their key players for the coming years.
They also signed Naz Reid to a deal. Reid is a key depth piece for the Wolves and saw a lot of playing time last season when Towns was injured.
In the draft, the Wolves took Leonard Miller and Jaylen Clark. Neither is likely to make a huge impact as a rookie.
When is the Timberwolves' first home game?
The Wolves will return home on Saturday to take on the Miami Heat, who lost the NBA finals last year.
Tickets are still available on the Wolves' website.
