After a disappointing performance against the Lakers on Friday, the Timberwolves enter their home opener on Sunday with a 1-1 record. In the Target Center will be the Pacers, a team that has lost its first two games and is a very different team than the team that won the Eastern Conference last season.
This seems like a prime opportunity for the Wolves to get back into the win column. Remarkably, Minnesota is aiming for its tenth straight victory in the home opener of the regular season.
The Timberwolves haven’t lost a home opener since 2015
It’s been almost a decade since the Timberwolves lost their first regular-season game at the Target Center. They fell to the Trail Blazers by a score of 106–101 on November 2, 2015, the last time their home opener ended in defeat.
That was so long ago that Kevin Garnett was on the team for what would be his final NBA season. Andre Miller was still in the league and also on the Wolves roster. Sam Mitchell was their head coach, and players who saw action in that game for Minnesota and are still active include Karl-Anthony Towns, Andrew Wiggins, Taurean Price and Zach LaVine.
In the past nine home openers, the Timberwolves are 9-0 with an average winning margin of nearly 13 points. Last season they defeated the Raptors 112-101 in their first home game. Anthony Edwards and Julius Randle led the way in that game with 24 points, and four others reached double figures.
Pacers are a shell of the team that reached the NBA finals last season
On Sunday night, Minnesota will face a Pacers team that doesn’t quite resemble the team that reached the NBA Finals last season. Tyrese Haliburton is out with a torn Achilles tendon. Andrew Nembhard will likely remain sidelined with a shoulder strain.
Bennedict Mathurin left Saturday’s game with a sore right foot and could also miss tonight’s game. TJ McConnell is out with a hamstring injury. Myles Turner left to sign with the Bucks this offseason.
There is no reason for Minnesota to make a mistake in this game and should bounce back from an underperformance. At the time of writing, DraftKings Sportsbook lists them as 12.5-point favorites. Indiana is in the second leg of a back-to-back after a 25-point loss to the Grizzlies.
It will be a bit troubling if the Timberwolves can’t extend their winning streak to 10 in the home opener.
#Timberwolves #continue #remarkable #run #Sunday