A Lopsided Loss to Detroit Sends Minnesota Looking Ahead to…

By the Timberwolves Nightly Desk · Thursday, October 15

Minnesota's preseason split down the middle on Oct. 14, as a 106-128 home loss to Detroit erased the glow of road wins over Miami and New York. Anthony Edwards led all Timberwolves scorers with 20 points, needing 15 shots to get there and finishing minus-15 in 28 minutes.

Anthony Edwards of the Timberwolves — Anthony Edwards. Photo: Bryan Berlin, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

A Lopsided Night

Minnesota built a 10-point cushion in the first quarter, then Detroit's 36, 32 and 31 the rest of the way turned the final into 106-128. Jaden McDaniels scored 12 points with six rebounds, and Jonathan Kuminga led the bench with 16 points on 5-of-6 shooting. The Timberwolves' starters outscored their bench, 59-41, and Ayo Dosunmu finished minus-18, the worst mark in the game.

Bodies, Cleared and Not

Jonathan Kuminga's own status moved twice this week, ending with a clearance after being questionable. Rocco Zikarsky and Enrique Freeman are both questionable with an estimated return of Oct. 16, the date of the Chicago game, which would restore two bodies to Minnesota's frontcourt depth. Donte DiVincenzo remains out with a right Achilles injury and an estimated return of April 1, 2027 — a long-term absence that Dunking with Wolves has already tied to Minnesota's bench math this season.

Next Stop, Chicago

Minnesota visits the Chicago Bulls on Oct. 16 in its next preseason outing, against a Bulls team also at 0-0 under new head coach Tiago Splitter. It is the last tune-up before games start counting: the Timberwolves open the regular season Oct. 21 at Miami. The open question is whether the bench numbers from the Pistons game were preseason noise or an early look at a rotation still finding its shape.

When do the Timberwolves play next?

Minnesota visits the Chicago Bulls on Oct. 16 in preseason play, then opens the regular season Oct. 21 at Miami.

Is Donte DiVincenzo playing for the Timberwolves this season?

Not right now. DiVincenzo is out with a right Achilles injury and has an estimated return date of April 1, 2027.

By the Timberwolves Nightly Desk, written from the club's data and the reports on file, with every name and number checked against them. How the desks work.