The Minnesota Timberwolves are a team who are still a bit of an enigma. They are among the top half of the NBA who won their season opener, but even in victory, the team seemed out of whack at times. The Oklahoma City Thunder put up one heckuva fight, coming back from a 17-point deficit to take a lead in the third quarter before the Timberwolves rallied to come from behind for the win.
Even as the Timberwolves escaped with a much closer win than originally, their next opponent in the Utah Jazz is a team coming off a surprising upset of their own against the Denver Nuggets. Their young bench played significant minutes in that one, as they exploded for 68 points to lead the Jazz to a victory.
The Timberwolves may be building proficiency, but this is a team that is not just stumbling around in the dark. The Timberwolves opened up 13 point lead in the first quarter against the Oklahoma City Thunder with great ball movement, a solid defense, and some unexpected but quite-welcome offense out of center Rudy Gobert.
The Timberwolves need to drastically improve their perimeter shooting, which was only 26.3 percent accurate in the opener. The Timberwolves will also need to become much more aggressive on defense, as they allowed an incredible number of open shots, 47 to be exact, in the opener.
If you need a silver lining perspective, the Timberwolves entered the season with a punch list detailing areas that will need to improve, and defense was one of the top items on the list.
Tipoff Time
This game will be played at Target Center, home of the Minnesota Timberwolves, with the tipoff time scheduled for Friday, October 21, 2022, at 7:00 pm CT.
Timberwolves Injury Report vs Jazz Game 2
Timberwolves
- No players to report
Thunder
- C Udoka Azubuike (Ankle) – OUT
That is the extent of injuries reported for the opener.
It’s early in the season, but the Timberwolves hopes for a high seeding in the eventual NBA Playoffs truly begin now. The 2022-23 NBA schedule has loaded the Timberwolves with their most difficult opponents later in the season.
Jazz vs Timberwolves Betting Odds, Spread, Over/Under & Betting Game 2
We used WynnBET to find the latest odds and spread for this one.
Point Spread
- Jazz +8.5 (-110)
- Timberwolves -8.5 (-110)
Money Line
- Jazz +280
- Timberwolves -365
Over/Under – 228.5 points
- Over -110
- Under -110
Recommended Bets:
While this is the second game for the Timberwolves season, I still don’t have a good handle on whether the Timberwolves will play like Dr. Jeckyl or Mr. Hyde, as both versions of the team made an appearance in the season opener. Will both guard Anthony Edwards and forward Karl-Anthony Towns shake off their Game 1 scoring slumps in this one?
I really cannot say. I think that the Timberwolves are still trying to figure out how to score and how to defend with this year’s rotation. And it may be several weeks before that picture comes into focus for the team. But I do like the Timberwolves to win outright, so if you want to wager, I say:
Take the Thunder on the Money Line (-365) to win
National broadcast: NBA League Pass
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change
Thunder vs. Timberwolves Game 1 Live Stream
You can watch this game’s action live by streaming on Fubo TV.
The Minnesota Timberwolves’ next game and schedule
The Minnesota Timberwolves will return to action on Sunday, October 23, 2022, at 7:00 pm CT as the team travels for a rematch with the Oklahoman City Thunder. The Utah Jazz will next travel to take on the New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday, October 23rd, at 6:00 pm CT.