After disappointing in their debut against the Los Angeles Lakers who, in addition to making history (reuniting father and son on the court for the first time in a professional NBA game) prevailed over their rival by destroying their interior area thanks to a great Anthony Davis, the T -Wolves have the opportunity this morning to add their first victory of the season, once again playing away from home.
In front, some Sacramento Kings in what will be their particular opening night, league debut, and without a doubt they will seek to debut with a victory in front of their fans.
Date and time of Kings vs. Timberwolves
- Date: October 25
- Start time: 4:00 (Spanish peninsular time)
- Site: Golden 1 Center, Sacramento, California
Sacramento Kings breaking news: one model, three stars
Today all eyes will be on analyzing how and what exactly these Kings are going to play after making such an important change in the summer market. Six years later, his quintet loses a starter like Harrison Barnes, a complement par excellence, so that a 35-year-old star, DeMar DeRozan, takes his place, and demonstrates that his classic game of clearing and mid-range manages not only to coexist, but to improve a slate, that of the Kings, which in the last two has stood out for its high volume of triples and its large number of points in transition.
Player to watch: DeMar DeRozan
The first thing is to demonstrate that the star continues to be a star. The former Bulls, Spurs and Raptors player is aging well, but he is entering that five-year period, that of 35-40, where decline can arrive rapidly at any time. In a guard/forward of his characteristics, whose impact draws, to a large extent, from his physical superiority, scratching that extra hundredth to the defender and generating space for the shot, the speed and rhythm of his legs is key for his wrist to be effective .
Now, unlike the Bulls in low times, he will have two other All-Stars at his side in full prime basketball player, Fox and Sabonis, both with a high understanding of the game and if they manage to create good chemistry, they will become an unpredictable quintet with a hundred different ways to score. To this we must add another important player from whom a certain growth is expected, Keegan Murray, capable of alternating nights of boxscore inconsequential with others where he touches thirty points and a good handful of three-pointers made.
Minnesota Timberwolves breaking news: Erase your first impression
The team seemed lost in its start at the old Staples, without a clear system to play with now that Towns is gone. The synergy that he had finally managed to create with Rudy Gobert, starts again from scratch and must now learn to coexist with Randle, a smaller power forward but who also really likes to play on the outside, shoot triples and dribble the ball. ball, but whose defense is not its greatest virtue, as well as its involvement in the help, which was key to turning the Wolves of 23/24 into one of the teams that defended best in the entire circuit.
From the bench, in a shallow rotation, three names are called to be important and give an extra push to the scoring: Naz Reid, Donde DiVincenzo and Nickeil Alexander-Walker.
Player to watch: Anthony Edwards
A couple of days ago he said that he would have no problem retiring from basketball at an early age if he managed to win a ring first. It is unknown to everyone that Anthony Edwards does not feel a special devotion to basketball like Kobe Bryant did. For him it is a profession that he is extremely good at.
But no one escapes either his extremely competitive character that, just because of him, last year the first parallels with Michael Jordan began, due to their similarities when it comes to self-motivation as a method to win.
With the departure of Towns and until Randle finds his place, young Edwards remains the main and almost only great star of the team, so he will have to pull the car night in and night out, if they even want to dream of repeating the milestone of the past playoffs: the Conference Finals. In the loss to the Lakers, Edwards scored 27 points and grabbed 6 rebounds.
Kings vs. Timberwolves: history of confrontations
With a young franchise like the Wolves, both teams have only met 70 times to date, never in the playoffs. The score is even, with a slight advantage for those from Minneapolis, with 38 wins to the 33 for the Kings. That said, the Wolves are coming off being one of the best teams away from home last season, with a record of 26-15.
The Kings also come from a disastrous preseason, a 0-5 record, and with the rim spitting out almost all of their triples. But of course, the preseason is one thing, and the RS is something else.
Predictions for Kings vs. Timberwolves
Edwards, go for it. The Wolves guard is expected to come out to bite from the first hour and try to draw blood against an interior duo that is far from being the most intimidating in the league in defensive terms, being able to easily go above 25 points and accompanying in the success percentages if you bet on penetrating instead of shooting from afar.
Sabonis, mobility and class. The duel between Domantas Sabonis and Rudy Gobert will be very interesting. We know that the Frenchman is not afraid to chase his pair to the outside goal, just as we know that Sabonis is one of the most mobile, technical interiors with resources to score and distribute in the entire league. If Randle doesn’t stay focused, we could be looking at a powerful scoring night for the Lithuanian. The fight for the rebound, yes, will be terrible.
A new stage for DeRozan. On his debut night with the Bulls jersey, back in 2021, DeRozan scored 17 points, grabbed 7 rebounds and stole 3 balls against the Detroit Pistons, to then chain two spectacular months, proving the Bulls right that his signing It had been a complete success. Today, three years later and with all the starters in great health, we expect a team that will give its best in a West that will not forgive a bad streak. And DeRozan, although he is not always the first scoring sword of these Kings, should still continue to aspire to be around 20 points per game.
Where to watch Kings vs. Timberwolves
The match between the Sacramento Kings and the Minnesota Timberwolves can be seen in Spain through the NBA League Pass subscription.
