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The North Star Report · Morning

Minnesota Rests Its Rotation With the Opener Five Days Away

Eight regulars sat out the exhibition finale under rest designations, and the real team arrives in five days.

Isaiah Evans21 points, 5-for-10 from three, in 30 minutes off the bench
By the Timberwolves Nightly Desk · Saturday, October 17

Minnesota closed its exhibition slate at Chicago on Oct. 16 without eight of its most-used players, every one of them logged as day-to-day under a rest designation tied to next week's opener. The lineup left behind lost 116-133, outscored in all four quarters by a Bulls team that also sat several of its own regulars.

Isaiah Evans of the Timberwolves
Isaiah Evans. Photo: TigerNet.com, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

A Lineup of Understudies

Isaiah Evans led all scorers with 21 points off the bench, hitting 5 of 10 from three in 30 minutes. Jaylen Clark added 18 points and 7 rebounds with 3 steals, Drew Timme matched him with 18 points and 7 boards of his own, and Zyon Pullin ran the offense for 38 minutes, finishing with 10 assists against 3 turnovers. None of it slowed Chicago, which outscored Minnesota in all four quarters on the way to a 133-116 final.

Rest, Not Injury

The absences were not a typical injury list. Anthony Edwards, Rudy Gobert, LaMelo Ball, Jaden McDaniels and Ayo Dosunmu were each listed day-to-day with a rest designation, alongside Jonathan Kuminga, Trey Lyles and Bones Hyland, every one carrying an expected return of October 21. Donte DiVincenzo remains the one real injury on the list, out since tearing his right Achilles, with a return targeted for next April.

Five Days to Miami

The preseason closes at 1-2 after a win over the Knicks and losses to the Pistons and Bulls, and none of it carries into the regular season opener October 21 at the Heat on ESPN. The roster that broke camp, carrying a payroll of $215.3 million above the luxury tax line, still has not taken the floor together outside of practice. How it looks once it does remains open.

Why did the Timberwolves sit so many starters against the Bulls?

Anthony Edwards, Rudy Gobert, LaMelo Ball, Jaden McDaniels, Ayo Dosunmu, Jonathan Kuminga, Trey Lyles and Bones Hyland all carried day-to-day rest designations, each with an expected return of October 21.

When does the regular season start for Minnesota?

The Timberwolves open the regular season October 21 on the road against the Miami Heat, televised on ESPN.

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.

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