Game Preview #9 – Timberwolves vs. Jazz

Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Utah Jazz
Date: November 7, 2025
Time: 7:00 p.m. CST
Location: Target center
Television coverage: FanDuel Sports Network – North, KARE 11
Radio coverage: Wolves app, iHeart Radio

Roller coaster. That’s the only word that fits last year’s Timberwolves and, based on what we’ve experienced so far, maybe this year’s as well. Every night, it was like a coin toss between “the best team in the West” and “the AAU team that just met at the airport.” They would throttle the Warriors one night, then lose to a G League team from Portland 24 hours later. You never knew which version appeared.

Here we are, eight games into the 2025-26 campaign, or about 10% of the way through, and the story seems familiar. Anthony Edwards’ hamstring has already been hijacked a week into the season, and Chris Finch looks like he’s aged a decade in eight games. The Wolves are 4-4, squarely in that boring zone between contender and question mark. They showed flashes of genius and moments of pure “what are we doing there?” energy. But here’s the good news: The NBA scheduling gods may have just handed them a parachute.

Tomorrow night in Utah begins a strange little back-and-forth with the Jazz and the Kings, a soft schedule pocket before a blockbuster rematch Saturday night with Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets. More importantly, it’s the Wolves’ NBA Cup debut this year. And yes, I can already hear you moaning, but come on. You’re a Wolves fan. You have lived thirty-six years of draws and moral victories. If there’s a trophy at the end of something, even if it’s shaped like a fancy bowl of cereal, we’re in it. We want it.

Because here it is: the Wolves have never sniffed the round of 16 of the NBA Cup. Two years in a row, they were bounced back into group games, watching the Thunder and Lakers get all the glitzy Vegas airtime. This year’s group gives them a fighting chance. Oklahoma City is the big boss, sure, but the rest? Kings, Jazz, Suns – all winnable games. You take care of business against those three, and suddenly the big showdown with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder means something. That’s the kind of carrot this team needs right now: short-term goals, a little urgency and a reason to care about Tuesday nights in November.

So, what needs to happen Friday in Minneapolis to turn the page on the Garden debacle? Let’s dig.

Key #1: Bring the damn intensity

The Wolves didn’t just lose in New York. They got punked. Overwhelmed, overwhelmed, surpassed everything. The Knicks grabbed 21 offensive rebounds, turned second chances into swings and, by the fourth quarter, were clowning Minnesota like it was a recreational league race. You could practically see Finch’s soul leaving his body after the third consecutive missed box-out. This cannot happen again.

Utah doesn’t have the horses. This is a talent mismatch. If the Wolves show up like it’s a Sunday morning scrimmage, it will become dicey. But if they lock down, pick up the pace, pressure the glass and make Utah catch up, it should be a 30-point blowout. The NBA Cup features a point tiebreaker, meaning style points actually count. If the Wolves truly want to advance, they must come out strong and never let go.

Key #2: Bounce Like It’s Your Job (Because It Is)

Finch praised the Wolves’ effort after the Knicks game. Translation: they were bullied. Mitchell Robinson ate lunch and asked for seconds. It’s everyone’s business, not just Gobert’s. Naz, Randle, McDaniels and Edwards need to crash the boards, finish possessions and don’t assume Rudy will do all the dirty work. Rebounding is contagious when a guy starts it. It’s contagious the other way too when no one does it.

When this team moves the rock, they seem unstoppable. The second quarter in New York was a perfect snapshot of crisp passing and guys cutting with determination that led to a 14-0 run. But when things get tight, the ball sticks. Both Ant and Randle have that “hero mode” gene, and when it’s good, it’s electric. When things go wrong, it’s like watching someone try to get through airport security. Minnesota has to trust the system. Hit, swing, shoot. Do it again.

Key n°4: The Non-Gobert Minutes

This is where the wolves get cooked. The second Rudy comes on the bench, their inner defense turns into a choose-your-own-adventure book written by a sadist. If Naz Reid or Randle anchor the five, the perimeter guys need to tighten up rotations and control dribble penetration. Regardless, non-Gobert minutes can’t continue to sabotage otherwise solid defensive streaks.

So here we are at the first real “gut check” game of the season. Not because of the opponent, but because of what he represents. You don’t make it to the conference finals twice by chance. This team knows what it looks like when they’re locked in, and they know what it looks like when they’re not. Friday night is about reclaiming that identity from the snarling, connected and hard-hitting version of the Wolves. The one that put the Lakers and Warriors on the brink last spring.

Utah shouldn’t be an obstacle. Complacency might be. If the Wolves want to remind the league that last spring was no fluke, this is where the climb begins. You can’t fix an inconsistency overnight, but you can plant a flag. And if they manage their business, maybe this time the NBA Cup won’t just be a footnote at the start of the season. Maybe this is the moment they finally start acting like the team we all think we can be.