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How well will the Wolves perform to open the 2023-24 NBA season?

By Charles Post

Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards against Toronto Raptors forward Scottie Barnes at the Target Center.
Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards against Toronto Raptors forward Scottie Barnes at the Target Center. /
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After taking on the Toronto Raptors in the long-awaited regular season opener on Wednesday night, the Minnesota Timberwolves will appear in multiple marquee matchups in the coming weeks including games against the Miami Heat, Denver Nuggets, and Boston Celtics.  Minnesota Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch must prepare the team to play seven games in two weeks before facing the San Antonio Spurs in the inaugural in-season tournament on November 10.

Despite going just 2-18 in the last 20 games at Toronto, the Timberwolves are currently favored over the Toronto Raptors heading into opening night. It’s definitely a difficult place to play but Minnesota is projected to secure a narrow victory. The season opener against Toronto is a great opportunity for the Timberwolves to open the regular season on a positive note and set the tone moving forward but it will take a quality showing to get past the Raptors.

How will the Minnesota Timberwolves perform?

Following the road trip to Toronto, the Timberwolves return home to Target Center to face the  Miami Heat in the home opener on Saturday evening. The Heat could be slight favorites as Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo create problems on both ends of the floor. It will be key for Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns to find a groove in the early stages and get the team off to a solid start against one of the Eastern Conference’s most consistent teams.

Odds haven’t been released yet but the Timberwolves are likely going to be favored in upcoming matchups against the Atlanta Hawks, Utah Jazz, and New Orleans Pelicans as well. Minnesota will meet Atlanta in the third outing of the year before four straight home games against the Nuggets, Jazz, Celtics, and Pelicans. It’s certainly not an easy schedule so a realistic goal would be for the Timberwolves to start the season with a 4-3 record.

Timberwolves set to face a difficult schedule to start the regular season

The previously mentioned matchups with Denver and Utah will be important as Minnesota hopes to take down a pair of division rivals. Rudy Gobert and Jaden McDaniels are set to play a major role in both games as the Timberwolves try to slow down Nikola Jokić and the defending champion Nuggets before hosting the Jazz and Celtics a few days later. All three teams generate different challenges but Minnesota should be able to get at least one win in that span.

With an opportunity to reach the playoffs for a third consecutive campaign, the Timberwolves must get off to a good start to the season and avoid digging themselves a hole in the standings. Even though a quality start doesn’t guarantee anything, it’s always a good sign to find success and get into a rhythm in October and November. The season opener against the Raptors is just the beginning of what could be a memorable year for the Timberwolves!

Here are more Minnesota Timberwolves articles to check out as well:

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