Donte Divencenzo picks Jose Alvarado’s pockets with less than a minute remaining in the game and the Wolves down by four points. Divencenzo’s steal allows the ball to find its way into the hands of a galloping Jaden McDaniels, who promptly dribbles across the half-court line and then, knowing that a decision needs to be made —- and fast —- finds his way down to the left block and pulls up over two Derrick Queen and banks the ball in gently off of the class for two.

Now Minnesota is just down two points and there’s just over thirty second left on the clock. This is late game drama in New Orleans: the type of clutch basketball that the Pelicans’ fans are not used to seeing —- the team’s 3-18; and the type of basketball that the Timberwolves, at four games above five hundred and sitting at 6th in the stacked and fiercely competitive west, did not want to get themselves into.

Still, this is the reality and this is what Minnesota finds itself up against: get one stop here, and the embarrassment of a loss to the Pelicans still might be wiped away. Give up another bucket and you’re staring down the barrel of humiliation. Yes, it’s only one game, one night in a long, long 82 game season: but pride means you’re not losing to the 3-18 New Orleans Pelicans on any night (or in any venue) if you can help it.

Pelicans Rookie Jeremiah Fears dribbles, waits, waits at the top of the arc as the seconds on the game clock and shot clock count down. Divencenzo stands in front of him. Fears’ first step gets him into the paint and a beat later he’s challenging down the Stifle Tower, Rudy Gobert: his shot isn’t blocked, but Gobert’s presence definitely affects the attempt.

The rebound goes to Divencenzo, who passes it off to Edwards and just as the game clock hits 7 seconds, Minnesota calls its timeout. Off of the time-out, Edwards sees a clear path to the rack for two and without much resistance lays it in, sending the game to OT. Minnesota runs away with the game in OT and breathes a deep sigh of relief through the extra five minutes. We live to fight another day: next game’s this Thursday night, same opponent, same arena.

MINNESOTA 125 - SAN ANTONIO 112 — 11/30/25

Anthony Edwards became the Timberwolves all-time franchise leader for 30 points games at 102 and as this announcement was made on the jumbotron in the Target Center, a few of his teammates celebrated by burying him in fresh white towels.

By this point less than five minutes was left in the fourth quarter and the Wolves had finally pulled away from a determined but undermanned San Antonio Spurs team. Determined in that they have won five of their last six games, yet undermanned because their sophomore sensation and perennial All-Star to be (and perhaps future hall of famer) Victor Wembanyana, has been out for their last seven games.

Despite Wembanyana being out, for much of the first half San Antonio looked like the more focused team. Dylan Harper, the son of the Bulls' great Ron Harper (who was the starting point guard for the Bulls second three-peat, ‘96-’98), poured in 17 points overall and found his way to the paint and into the rim with not a lot of resistance from the Wolves defense.

The Spurs wore their grey City edition uniforms, which honestly might be the quietest most non-descript City Edition uniforms in the league. Alan Horton, who was on the call again tonight — bring back Grady, please — offered that the Spurs C.E. kit was different from their regular uniform because they read "San Antonio" across the front rather than "Spurs." Noted.

Although Edwards finished with 32 points and 6 assists, he did his best work — again — through the third quarter, helping the Wolves stay close to San Antonio's hip before they — the Wolves — would eventually hit the accelerator and leave the Spurs in the dust in the fourth.

Ant's biggest shot came with about two minutes remaining in the third and the Wolves trailing 88-80. Similar to the play at the end of the game against Boston last night, Edwards lost the handle, briefly, while dribbling at the top of the three point arc. Then this time he found a cutting Naz Reid, then Reid kept making his way into the lane and then just after drawing two defenders, kicked the ball back out to Anthony, who was wide open and drilled the three ball, again.

The Wolves played a lot of the fourth quarter and made their most significant run with a five-man combo that did not include Anthony Edwards or Rudy Gobert: Randle, Divencenzo, Conley, Reid, and McDaniels.

For a few possessions Divencenzo and Reid alternated who would take and make the next game breaking three. They're both shooting the ball really well lately and playing with a lot of confidence — especially at home.

A couple more notes:

"I still, to this day, remember phone numbers by using jersey numbers." Jim Petersen — a pretty cool idea !

Jaylen Clark went two of two from three and his three point stroke is looking a lot more confident. He offered for the first time this season, I think, a "peekaboo" or "blinders" three point celebration. If he can continue to play lock-down defense and hit threes under pressure in big moments, he'll become an even better option to keep on the floor for long stretches.

I want Rob Dillingham to succeed, but man, it looks really tough out there for him. Even when he gets to the rim, he has to shoot so high up over people (to avoid having his shot blocked) that it's tough to keep his percentage up – and when he's running the offense it very much looks like he just wants to make a play so badly, but his rhythm and timing aren't quite in sync.

It's a long season and Finch so far has kept playing him, so let's see what these next few games — two on the road against the Pelicans (12/2 and 12/4), then back home against the Clippers next Saturday (12/6), might bring.

_____________________________

Current Record 12-8

Current Standings: 6th in the Western Conference - 7.5 GB first place (OKC)

Up Next: Tuesday 12/2 & Thursday 12/4 = both games @ New Orleans

BOSTON @ MINNESOTA - 11/29/25 - Minnesota 119 - Boston 115

Alan Horton and Jim Petersen were on the call and Horton —–– who does his best but is aeons away from Michael Grady in terms of the aura and depth of his play-by-play —–– let everyone know (twice) early on that tonight was Julius Randle’s birthday: Happy 31st, Julius ! The Wolves played their first game at the Target Center since their win over the Wizards on November 19th, and since that time they’ve dropped three tough games on the road (@ Phoenix, Sacramento, and Oklahoma City). So tonight, two nights after Thanksgiving and over an early matinee start-time 4pm CT, Minnesota looked neither charged and ready to go at full speed nor slow and lethargic coming out of the gate.

Instead, through the first quarter the game had the feel of two teams with a lot of talent but who maybe had not stacked as many wins as they would have liked so far —- feel each other out. Boston was coming in with an identical 10-8 record, and although they lost their best player, Jayson Tatum, to a torn achilles in last season’s Eastern Conference Finals, they’re still a very disciplined and heady team that’s made up of a lot of guys who can shoot the lights out from three point range. It’s pretty wild when you think about it: last season 56% of Boston’s attempted field goals were from three point range . . . they literally shot more threes than twos. This was the highest 3-point rate in NBA history, hat tip to Horton.

Boston wore its City Edition uniforms —- all white with gold trim —- and Minnesota donned their classic all-black “green tree” kit, and Randle got the scoring going for Minnesota with a fadeaway two from the right post. Although there were several spurts through the first half when it looked like Jaylen Brown’s scoring ability combined with Peyton Pritchard and Sam Hauser’s spot-up shooting from deep might be enough to sink Minnesota, after two quarters the Wolves were only down by ten. And I stress only because it felt like it could have been a lot more.

One very positive trend that the Wolves have brought to this season so far has been their ability to come out of the locker room swinging after halftime and blitzing their way back into the game (or turning a corner and putting a game out of reach — or almost out of reach) in the third quarter. And tonight was no different: Minnesota outscored Boston 35-23 in the third quarter and turned a ten point deficit into a two point lead to start the fourth.

Anthony Edwards did a great job of consistently getting to the rim all night and there were definitely more than a few occasions that he was hacked and did not get the calls that he should have. At one point during the second quarter he let referee Dannica Baroody (#89) know it, and was promptly gifted a technical foul, his second of the season.

Having rallied back in the third, the Wolves kept the momentum up heading into the fourth. Naz Reid had a strong game and between him and Jaden McDaniels there were several times when the Wolves’ length presented a problem for Boston. McDaniels did a great job of recovering off of helping in a pick-n-roll and swatted away a lob attempt. And at one point Reid, similarly, blocked an Anfernee Simons mid-range jumper, then coolly collected the ball right off of his block, almost all in one-fell swoop.

Then not too much later I looked up and we were up 110-100 with just about three minutes remaining. Finally, the three game losing streak was over and the Wolves had beaten a team with a winning record for the first time this season, right? Right? Seriously, we’re going to hang onto this one . . . don’t play with me.

Then Jaylen Brown took the ball away from Divencenzo at half court and found his way to the rim to make it 110-102. A few beats later Derrick White would hit a deep three to pull Boston back within three, 110-107. . . then Jaylen Brown pulled up for a three ——without passing the ball at all or setting up any offense —— and as his shot splashed the bottom of the net, Minnesota 110 - Boston 110, everyone in the building had to be wondering: is this really happening, again?

A few beats later, the camera panned to a young fan in Wolves gear who decided to do Chris Finch’s job and started calling for a timeout. Yet to the Wolves credit, no timeout was called and they simply kept running their offense; so the next time down the court: Edwards found Randle at the top of the key and Randle drove into the paint until the defense collapsed around him, so he found Conley in the left corner for a three: swish - and all at once the crowd breathed a deep sigh of relief. The Wolves were up three with just over a minute to go.

Two free throws from Derrick White (off of a missed three pointer when he was fouled then went 2-3 from the line), plus a bucket from Minnesota put the Wolves up 115-112. Then with the ball and 20 seconds left on the game clock, Edwards was squared up against White at the top of the three point arch and probably everyone in the building knew what Edwards wanted: the step back three to put the game on ice. And for a second it looked like there was no way that was happening - at all —- because Ant’s dribble ricocheted off of White’s foot and sprayed across the Target Center hardwood. Yet almost as quickly as Edwards lost the ball he found it again and a half-beat later, he shot a three up over White . . . Here’s Alan Horton on the call:

“Randle down to Edwards, shot clock down to 5 . . . Ant lost it, got it back, he’s got to hoist it . . . and hits!” — Petersen: “Wow!” Horton: “How about that, from Ant?”

_____________

Current Record 11-8
Western Conference Standings: 7th - 7.5 GB 1st Place (OKC)
Up Next: 11/30 — San Antonio at the Target Center

MINNESOTA @ OKLAHOMA CITY - 11/26/25

After dropping two games in a row by collapsing in the final two minutes (or less) —the first time on the road in Phoenix this past Friday night, and then again at Sacramento two nights ago - this game against the Thunder was supposed to be a get-right game.

The Oklahoma City Thunder, the defending champs carrying a 17-1 record so far this season, is the last team you’d want to face while staring down the barrel of a three game losing streak (the team’s first of the season), and also facing elimination from the NBA Cup. But alas — when you allow the Suns to score 8 points in just over a minute in the 4th quarter —–– this is what the basketball gods draw up for you next NBA cup game.

Going into the game, the Thunder’s leading scorer and last season’s league MVP (and Finals MVP), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was on the injury report with an illness, but whatever “illness” he may have been battling all day was a non-factor. Gilgeous-Alexander poured in a quiet forty points over 37 minutes and although the Timberwolves hung tight and stayed pretty close to Oklahoma City’s hip all-night, their best effort just wasn’t quite enough.

With that said, the final count —— Oklahoma City 113 - Minnesota 105 doesn’t really express just how close this one was. In fact, with just over five minutes remaining the Wolves took a 94-93 lea off of a Naz Reid three from the left corner.

Granted, about fifteen seconds later Isaiah Hartenstein found an alley oop dunk off of a pick-n-roll to put the Thunder up again, but even then, the Timberwolves kept fighting.

Not to be outshined by Gilgeous-Alexander, Anthony Edwards tallied 31 and hit several big shots in the fourth quarter to keep Minnesota close. His gutsy drives to the hoop and a spot-up three from Divencenzo helped tie the game at 101-101 with just over three minutes remaining, giving the Oklahoma City crowd something they haven’t seen at all since the first two games of their season: a clutch-time contest.

Here, I’d love to write that Minnesota started playing clamp down defense and taking really, really good care of the ball and that it was obvious that they learned their lessons from giving away the last two games in the closing minutes, but unfortunately, that’s not quite what happened.

After knotting the score up at 101, one possession ended with SGA picking Divencenzo’s pocket and then finding a lay-up in transition. But even then! Edwards still stepped up and hit another unconscious three from the left arch to pull Minnesota within one again (104-105), with just over a minute remaining. And for those next 20-30 seconds, Wolves nation was pretty sure that we just might be able to steal this one and get our season fully back on track by beating the best team in the league, on their home floor.

Alas, it just wasn’t to be: the next possession Chet Holmgren hit a three (only his second of the game) over a Rudy Gobert contest, to put Oklahoma City up 108-104, and from there, the Thunder never looked back again.

A few more notes:

Julius Randle struggled with his shot all night, and this looked like a continuation of how he struggled in last season’s Western Conference Finals match-up against the Thunder. Maybe it’s facing Hartenstein and Holmgren at rim + being face-guarded by Lu Dort that makes it more difficult for Randle to play his customary bully-ball on the low-block, but winning with him limited to ten points on 2-13 shooting (and 2-7 from 3) is going to be tough.

TJ Shannon Jr. played his best game of the season, by far. After missing nine games with a left foot bone bruise, Monday night’s game against the Kings was the second year forward’s first game back; so tonight, he looked to have found his form again. Shannon attacked the rim with very little hesitation on numerous occasions and poured in three - three pointers. Actually, he did not miss a shot all night, going 7-7 from within the arc and 3-3 from beyond the arc.

Free throws: As a team, the Wolves shot 22-37 (59%!) from the free throw line. Fifteen points is a lot to leave off of the board here, and even turning half of those misses into makes would have made a significant difference tonight.

_____________________________________________________

Current Record: 10-8

Western Conference Standing: 7th and 7.5 GB 1st Place (OKC)

Next Up: Boston at The Target Center, Saturday, 11/29

MINNESOTA 122 - CHARLOTTE 105 - 11/1/25

The Timberwolves beat the Charlotte Hornets 122 - 105 on Saturday night in Charlotte, the night before the clock's fall back by an hour, marking the end of Daylight's Savings Time.

The feel of the game reminded me of those Saturdays in the gym from childhood, where it feels like there will be all of the time in the world to just be a kid, and relax, and play. The first half was probably closer than it needed to be, given that the Wolves clearly have a deeper and more talented roster than the Hornets, who did not even make the play-in tournament in the east last year.

With that said, the closeness of the game was a reminder that no team in the NBA is ever a completely "easy" game or "guaranteed" victory. No matter the disparity between the talent levels, or how heavy of a favorite one team might be, you still have to go out there -- run your plays and sets, get your shots up, make those shots, and then extend the effort defensively to keep the other team from doing whatever it is that they want to do offensively.

Rudy Gobert played his best game of the season, showing more purpose and aggression on the offensive end, including three or four dunks and one emphatic block on the defensive end.

Rob Dillingham saw his most meaningful minutes of the season, as he returned to his hometown and played in front of at least 15 members of his immediate and extended family, who were in Spectrum Arena to see him play. Minneapolis, of course, is quite aways away from Charlotte.

Dillingham played with more composure and confidence than his prior outings so far this season. And about halfway through the third quarter (when the game was still close), he showed off a a dazzling high-arching hook-shot-esque layup that narrowly sailed over the Hornets 7'1" rookie Center, Ryan Kalkbrenner's fingertips, before banking high off of the glass and into the net.

Not that much later, and off of a Hornets turnover, Jaden McDaniels found Naz Reid for a alley-oop dunk in which Reid gave the crowd (and his teammates) a 360 spin before slamming the ball home. This brought the Wolves bench off of their seats -- and Reid couldn't help but smile a little bit as he started running back on defense.

Donte Divencenzo probably broke (or at least almost broke) his nose in the first half, but still came back into the game and hit a barrage of dagger threes (mostly from the right elbow) as the Wolves kept building their lead.

The count over the third quarter was Wolves 36 to the Hornets 18, which is definitely a promising trend --- start out fast out of the gate after half-time. Perhaps that's easier against a team like the Hornets than a more formidable foe, but the practice and the mechanics of locking in, staying focused, and deciding to play with intensity and effort to start the second half always remain the same.

Jaylen Clark was back for the first time in three games and looked really good defensively. His on-ball defense and pressure, and ability to break screens made a noticeable difference, causing the Hornets ball-handlers (like Tre Mann, and LaMelo Ball) to drive into the lane but lose the handle often, leading to fast break runouts and transition buckets for the Wolves.

Clark's game is difficult not to like. He's the classic dirty work, roll up the sleeves and get the work done -- type of player that any championship contender needs.

Seeing the camaraderie between the players on the bench and the five players on the court as the fourth quarter kept winding down was enjoyable. After a three game home stand, in which we lost to the Lakers and also lost to the Nuggets, the trip to Charlotte and the pull away victory likely had the feel of a team retreat --- a chance to go on the road and bond with your brothers -- and they did.

The news from today is also that Anthony Edwards can start practicing again. No timetable is set just yet on when he'll be back, but it shouldn't be too much longer.

The road trip continues tonight as the Wolves take on the 0-6 Brooklyn Nets. No wins are guaranteed, of course, but this is a game that the Wolves should get.

Current Record: 3 Wins - 3 Losses.

MINNESOTA 115 - LOS ANGELES LAKERS 116 - 10/29/25

It's Saturday night and the Wolves are at Charlotte Playing the Hornets. I have only watched the first six minutes of the first quarter and am behind on the coverage. I paused the coverage because I don't want to fall more than a game behind on these summaries.

The Lakers visited the Target Center this past Wednesday night and spoiler alert the Lakers won 116-115. The game will be rememberd for Austin Reeves buzzer beater floater that put the Lakers up one to close out the game, and not for Julius Randle's drive to the hoop and runner in the lane that allowed the Wolves to take the lead (for the first time, I think for the entire second half) with less than five seconds left on the clock.

The Wolves were down by twenty halfway through the third quarter and the Target Center was so quiet that a random fan could yell out "Who is number 12?" (referring to Laker's forward Jake Laravia) and his voice could be loud enough to be caught by the TV cameras --- to which Anthony Edwards from the bench (still out with right hamstring tightness) could respond -- "That's what I'm saying, I don't know!"

Laravia caught the fan's (and the Wolves') attention because he was pouring in buckets, tallying 27 points in all and hitting a number of dagger threes to help the Lakers keep building their third quarter lead and sucking the life out of the Target Center crowed in the process.

Things looked and sounded bleak, in part, because the Wolves fan base (myself included) have real hopes for what this season might bring. And being blown out at home to a Lakers team that's not playing Lebron James or Luka Doncic didn't feel in line with a team that's capapble of winning a championship this season, even if Anthony Edwards was out as well.

But that's the thing about basketball, momentum is real and things can change on a dime. Here' s how things began to turn for the Wolves on Wednesday night: Bones Hyland.

Hyland, the point gaurd who the Wolves just signed in March came into the game with an agenda: don't be afraid to fail and "guns blazin'" mode engaged. He hit two threes back-to-back and a twenty point lead went down to fourteen and drove in for a two --- which, although it got called back due to an offensive foul that he committed against the Lakers back-up center, Jackson Hayes, the momentum in the building had already started to shift, so heading into the fourth quarter the Wolves comeback was already under way.

As their defense got more intense the transition buckets came more easy. And the shot that I'll remember the most from that Wednesday night game was when off of a face break, I think Dante Divencenzo was bringing the ball up the floor, with pace, and Jaden McDaniels was wide open for a left elbow three and simultaneously as the ball was traveling through the air and into McDaniels' hands I said to myself "Shoot that J" and not even two seconds later the ball was at the bottom of the net and the Wolves were down by just two.

Even after Randle hit the go ahead floater with just five seconds left, the way that the Lakers had been finding buckets all night did not allow me to rest easy. The game felt far from over.

So when Austin Reeves got the ball at the top of the key and Rudy Gobert came out on the switch, then Reeves dribbled right past him and found himself with plenty of space to shoot a floater right around the free-throw line, jeez, it became clear --- we were cooked. Swish -- then the Lakers started celebrating as though they had just won a playoff series.

The budding rivalry between these two teams feels very real, with the Laker seeking real revenge for the shellacking that the Wolves put on them in the playoffs last season, winning the opening round 4-1 --- despite the Lakers having home court advantage.

How soon, we all are wondering, until Anthony Edwards is back? The offense lacks a steady rhythm and flow without Edwards, who has a way of generating his own shot with ease and thereby taking a lot of pressure off of his teammates to find ways to create buckets.

Perhaps these games without him will serve as a chance for the Wolves to play with more pace --- rather than waiting for defenses to set and then lock down into getting consistent stops --- we can just advance the ball up the floor with a greater sense of speed and urgency.

As a fan I'm learning as we go. Tonight let's plan for a win on the road against Charlotte.

MINNESOTA 114 - DENVER 127 - 10/27/25

Monday night, 10/27, was the Wolves second game at the Target Center this season and fourth game overall. They were coming off of a narrow win over the Indiana Pacers and although there was a good amount of excitement in the building as the new season continued to unfold, there was also a noticeable absence and a feeling of loss. Earlier in the day the team announced that Anthony Edwards would miss one to two weeks with "right hamstring tightness" and would not be out there for that night's game --- against the Nuggets.

The Wolves have consistently dominated the Denver Nuggets over the last couple of seasons, including a playoff run and an epic comeback in game Seven of the Western Conference Semi-finals back in 2024. When, despite being down by more than twenty points in the fourth quarter, the Wolves still stormed back against the (then) defending NBA Champions to steal game 7. Ever since then, it's been all Wolves.

And although the Nuggets got off to a hot start ---- going up 10 or twelve right out the gate --- which left me wondering why Finch had not called a timeout yet, as more time ticked off the first quarter clock, it became clear why a timeout was not needed: the Wolves kept chipping away at the Nuggets' lead and slowly and then all at once the game was square, or almost square all over again.

Who was carrying the offensive load with Ant Man on the sideline? Unlike Sunday night's win over the Pacers, where Julius Randle carried much of the scoring load after Ant came out of the game, this was more of a collective effort, but Jaden McDaniels did make his presence more known than he otherwise might have.

Often he attacked the rim, dunking once and offering an array of stellar footwork and timing in order to create opportunities for easy layups. And one time specifically, he hit em (I think it was even the MVP Jokic defending) with the pattented Anthony Edward decel move before the layup.

McDaniels' presence as a scorer was so noticeable that he was the Wolves player who the telecast decided to interview before the teams went into the locker room at half-time.

Who was on the call? Michael Grady and Grant Hill, who worked well together. Grady got to work within a sweet two-for-one scenario: as a Wolves local broadcaster, he got to call a game in his home arena; however, the game was a national broadcast affair, with the NBA on NBC showing off its' Monday Night Basketball feature for the first time this season. (honestly I almost forgot that there was a MNF game --- Chiefs v. the Commanders --- I did not click over).

The second half started off strong, with the Wolves holding a lead most of the way and looking surprisingly strong despite missing Edwards. As I was watching there was a good ten to twenty minutes where the energy and feel of the atmosphere in the arena met me through the screen and it seemed pretty clear that the Wolves probably could hang on to win this one.

Then. Jamal. Murray. Happened.

He wouldn't miss. Not from three, not from inside the arch, not from driving through the lane and laying in an easy two.

He might be the most underrated point guard in the league. It's easy to overlook how much he bings to this team mostly because Jokic's passing and facilitating abilities make him (Jokic') especially unique big who plays a lot like a point guard, but Murray knows exactly how to pour in buckets when needed. He hit plenty of those dagger threes that feel like death by a thousand cuts as the Wolves tried, and tried, and TRIED to claw their way back in the game.

I think the score was 103 Denver - 100 Minnesota when TJ Shannon threw a lazy cross-court pass at the top of the arch that Tim Hardaway JR intercepted and then brought in for two over Mike Conley. That play was a back-breaker and the Wolves could not regain the thread after then.

The final score was 127-114. We're at home again tonight, 10/29 --- with a rematch against the Lakers. No Luka, no Edwards.

MINNESOTA 110 - LOS ANGELES LAKERS 128 - 10/24/25

It's a lot easier to write about the Timberwolves games after a win versus a loss. It is Sunday morning and the Wolves played Friday night and I am just now writing this recap. They played the Lakers at L.A. They lost 128-110. They looked good for two quarters with Anthony Edwards keeping pace with Luka Doncic's scoring flurry - Doncic finished with 49 - .

It was a late start out here on the East Coast, with coverage beginning at 10:00pm and tip off not taking place until about twenty minutes after. The coverage was brand new to me. Kevin Harlan is iconic as a broadcaster, but his colleagues that night, Dwayne Wade and Candice Parker, were largely unproven as broadcasters --- especially Wade, who - I believe - was calling his very first NBA game.

During the pre-game, Harlan referred to Wade and Parker as NBA and WNBA royalty, which I think is fair and was good to see him acknowledge and celebrate what Wade and Parker have both brought to the game of basketball. But with all of that said, tonight's challenge would be different: to add color commentary that's intriguing, engaging, and meaningful alongside Harlan's dynamic and emotionally compelling play-by-play. And to do so amongst the shadow of all of the TNT epic games and calls from Harlan and Reggie Miller's time together.

I could feel the lack of experience and bit of nervousness in Wade's voice from the game's very beginning. Right after the first place, he offered instant analysis - I think it was something about Donte Divencenzo -- but I don't want to go back and watch to do this research --- that felt rushed and undercooked.

But then as the game went on, I started to appreciate and enjoy hearing Wade call the game in real time from a player's perspective. - His tone was also more supportive and humours -- as opposed to the consistently critical and dismissive tone of Richard Jefferson's work as a commentator --- just saying - For example, as an elite defender throughout his playing career, Wade knew that Luka loves to pump fake in order to get his defenders in the air and then draw a foul. So at one point when Jaden McDaniels was guarding Luka, Dwayne was on the call and literally said, "Stay down" right before Luka pumped and drew the foul on Jaden as he jumped in the air in order to block a shot that would never come. Best of luck to you in this new role, Dwayne Wade.

And the game?

The Wolves came out flat in the third quarter and Luka was on a mission and just kept pouring in buckets. The Wolves know that they'll need to be better defensively, but the season is long and kinks can be worked out over time. A seven point lead for LA. grew to 10 or 12 then hit 15 or 18 and the game almost in a few blinks just got out of reach and we pulled our starters.

The rookie from France, Joan Beringer -- sounds like Yohan Ber-in-Jay got his first minutes. Beinger is a converted soccer player who just started playing basketball only four or five years ago -- which included an alley-oop dunk in transition, his first NBA points. Reserves Leonard Miller and Johnny Juzang also saw time.

Of note, when the game was still barely within reach, Finch did play Rob Dillingham, but not even two or three sequences later, the sophomore PG - who has a lot at stake this year as he competes for minutes and attempts to fill the void that will be left once Mike Conley retires - caught contact to his nose and face and started bleeding. So he had to go back to the locker room for treatment almost as soon as he entered the game.

We open up at home tonight against the Pacers at the Target Center.

MINNESOTA 118 - PORTLAND - 114 - 10/22/25

The Timberwolves opened up their 2025 season on the road, of all places in Portland. They won 118 to 114. Anthony Edwards had a spectacular night, 41 points plus ten points in the last four and a half minutes.

Michael Grady was on the play by play and Jim Petersen added the color commentary and when it was all over and done with everything felt right in the world. Well, that's not quite right. Enough felt like it could be right in the world. Rudy Gobert was relatively quiet, but had a key put back dunk late in the fourth after TJ Shannon missed an acrobatic layup.

Bones Hyland got significant third quarter minutes over Rob Dillingham (DNP Coaches' Decision). And the absence of a full time high level point guard showed --- especially with Mike Conley playing a very limited role (like 10-15 minutes) off of the bench. Donte Divencenzo got the start and Jaden McDaniels and TJ Shannon ended up bringing the ball up the court more than you'd expert or prefer.

The Trailblazers played with a lot of defensive energy and were helped along by their home crowd, but with that said -- the Timberwolves --- my team --- were not that careful with the ball and had a lot of unnecessary turnovers. How much of that was opening night jitters versus a lack of a starting caliber point guard is yet to be known, but tonight, the biggest thing to highlier is that we got the win -- which was never obvious or pre-determined, as the Wolves trailed almost the entire game. Their largest lead, in fact, was the four points that they won the game by, 118 - 114.

TJ Shannon looked good. And Jaylen Clark was very reliable with defense, steals, and some spot up three point shooting. Jaden McDaniels was a mixed bag but also had the highlight of the night with a tomahawk jam in the second quarter. Naz Reied looked solid --- as big jelly (a nickname given to him by Michael Grady), but maybe a little tentative at times. (He lost his sister tragically over the summer).

It was good to see them keep up the fight -- -clawing back to being down 2 or 3 then falling back by 7-10 several times,but always coming back and never, ever giving up. Friday night we play the Lakers.