The Timberwolves have opened the season with a bang, and now they get to bring that momentum home.
Minnesota is 2-0 after rolling past the Orlando Magic on Friday, a result that made the Wolves just the third team in NBA history to start a season with back-to-back road wins by 20 points or more. They had already handled the Miami Heat in their first game, and now the next test comes Sunday at Target Center against the Toronto Raptors, who are also 2-0.
For Minnesota, this is a familiar kind of moment. The Wolves have turned home openers into a yearly habit, and Sunday will give them a shot at their 11th straight win in that spot. They finished 26-15 at Target Center last season, and they’ll be spending plenty of time there early this year, with 12 of their next 16 games set for home.
That kind of run has become almost routine for this franchise. Minnesota last lost a home opener on November 2, 2015, when the Portland Trail Blazers beat them by five points. Kevin Garnett and Tayshaun Prince started that night in what would be their final season.
Last year’s home opener was a 114-110 win over the Indiana Pacers, with Julius Randle scoring 31 points for Minnesota. That victory extended the streak to 10 straight home-opening wins, and the run has included a wide range of opponents: Toronto in 2024, Miami in 2023, Oklahoma City in 2022, Houston in 2021, Detroit in 2020, Miami in 2019, Cleveland in 2018, Utah in 2017 and Memphis in 2016.
The streak is impressive, but it is not the franchise record. Minnesota won its first game at Target Center for 12 straight seasons from 1995 through 2006, so this current run is chasing that mark rather than setting it.
Toronto, though, is not showing up as an easy candidate to make history against. The Raptors opened with a 43-point win over the Chicago Bulls and followed that with a 10-point road win over the Washington Wizards. They’ve also had Kawhi Leonard back in the mix and have held both opponents under 40 percent shooting.
Defense has been a calling card for Toronto so far. The Raptors have limited their first two opponents to 25.4 percent shooting from 3-point range, which creates a sharp contrast with Minnesota, whose early-season offense has leaned heavily on the 3-ball.
DraftKings Sportsbook has Minnesota as a slight 1.5-point favorite, but that number does little to suggest a comfortable night. Somebody is going to leave Target Center with a first loss, and if the Raptors are the ones who take it, the Timberwolves will have a chance next year to match their franchise record for consecutive home-opening wins.
In Other News...
Timberwolves Face An Early Test With One Key Piece Missing
The Timberwolves get an early season measuring stick Sunday night at Target Center, where they host Toronto in a matchup that has plenty of preseason intrigue even before the opening tip. It is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET and will be carried on NBA TV, DAZN-MIN, TSN and TSN+, giving both teams a national stage as they settle into the new year.
Minnesota will have to navigate it without Donte DiVincenzo, a notable absence from the rotation as the Wolves try to protect home court against a Raptors team listed as a small underdog. Toronto also has a key injury note of its own, with Nate Bittle ruled out, but the bigger question for Minnesota is how it handles the missing wing depth against a conference opponent that can make a game uncomfortable if the pace gets away from them. [Read more 🡒]
Naz Reid Is Making The Wolves Regret What They Lost
Naz Reids move out of Minnesota always came with some context. The Timberwolves had enough frontcourt depth to keep his role narrower than his talent might have suggested, and in Charlotte he has quickly looked like a player with more to offer when given a larger lane. As a starter, he has bumped up his production across the board compared with his Minnesota seasons, giving the Hornets a more complete version of the big man Wolves fans only saw in flashes.
For Minnesota, the early returns are hard to ignore because Reid is showing he can handle a heavier offensive and playmaking load while still impacting the glass. It is the sort of development that can make a front office rethink how much it was willing to part with, especially in a deal built around LaMelo Ball and a reshuffling of the Wolves roster core. Reid is proving the opportunity mattered, and the question now is how long Charlotte can keep getting that version of him. [Read more 🡒]
Timberwolves Hot Start Is Already Creating A Real Rotation Battle
The early wins have done more than give the Timberwolves a good feeling around the building. They have also turned the back end of Chris Finchs rotation into a real day-to-day puzzle, with the coach still sorting through how different bench pieces fit alongside a team that has come out playing with purpose. Trey Lyles, Bones Hyland and Jaylen Clark have all been part of that conversation, each bringing a different skill set while Finch keeps mixing and matching based on matchups and game flow.
Bones Hylands first non-garbage-time appearance of the season in Orlando was another reminder that nothing is settled yet, and his eight minutes only added to the sense that Finch is still searching for the right balance. The Timberwolves have enough momentum to buy some patience, but the competition for roles is already tightening, especially with multiple reserves trying to separate themselves before the rotation starts to harden. [Read more 🡒]