Saturday night was the Timberwolves’ first outing in the 2025 Emirates NBA Cup. The win couldn’t get much easier for Minnesota as they manhandled the Jazz with a 137-97 victory. That 40-point win gives the Wolves a huge early advantage in group play of the NBA Cup as point differential is a tiebreaker.
In his second game back after missing 4 in a row with a strained right hamstring, Anthony Edwards looked back to his normal self in scoring 37 points. Julius Randle secured his second triple-double in three games with 19 points, 10 rebounds, and 12 assists. For all intents and purposes, this game was over after the first 12 minutes as the Timberwolves owned a 43-15 lead after one quarter. It was yet another win for Minnesota against an under-.500 team.
Wolves have early advantage in group play
If it seems like there are more blowout victories during NBA Cup contests, that is for a reason. Four teams in each conference advance to the quarterfinals: the three group winners as well as a wildcard. The first tiebreaker is head-to-head record in the group stage, while the second is point differential.
Minnesota is in Group B along with the Thunder, Suns, Kings, and Jazz. All have played one NBA Cup game thus far, other than Utah, which is now 0-2 and essentially eliminated. Oklahoma City and Phoenix each won their opener as well, by 30 and 22, respectively.
EMIRATES NBA CUP STANDINGS UPDATE ‼️
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▪️ TOR improves to 2-0
▪️ 7 teams move to 1-0
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The Timberwolves’ remaining group stage schedule consists of a home game against the Kings on November 14, followed by road outings against the Suns (November 21) and the Thunder (November 26). With a 40-point win in their pockets, Minnesota may be able to afford a loss and still advance.
Looking to advance for first time
Last year, there wasn’t a single team in the Western Conference that went 4-0 in group play. The three group winners went 3-1, as did the Mavericks, who made the quarterfinals as a wildcard due to a +46 point differential.
Point differential was why Minnesota didn’t advance in 2023 in what was then known as the In-Season Tournament. They went 3-1 but had an even point differential, so the 3-1 Suns advanced with a +34 point differential.
This is the third year that the NBA has had a tournament in the midst of the regular season. The Timberwolves are looking to reach the quarterfinals for the first time. They went 2-2 in group play last year.