Preseason Game #3: Wolves Home for First Time to Face Thunder

Thunder at Wolves
7:00 pm CDT
FS North

Not only are the Wolves at home for the first (and only) time this preseason, but it is also the first broadcast of the year from FSN, meaning we get to settle back into the tones of rhythms of play-by-play man Dave Benz and analyst Jim Petersen.

The Wolves have split their first two preseason contests, winning at Golden State before getting routed in L.A. by the Clippers. The team, even without Jimmy Butler, looks quite similar to last season: terrible defense along with an offense that relies heavily on getting to the free throw line. The Wolves continue to play the same style, which is disappointing if not surprising.

The Thunder lost their preseason opener to the Pistons, but were without stars Russell Westbrook, who is recovering from an arthroscopic knee procedure in September and will not play tonight, and Paul George who was listed as out for personal reasons.

The Wolves will no doubt get a heavy dose of former Jeff Teague teammate Dennis Schroder, who was traded to the Thunder from the Hawks this summer in the Carmelo Anthony deal.

The Wolves and their fans are mostly in a holding pattern until the Jimmy Butler situation gets resolved. I expect the same Wolves starting lineup we’ve seen so far: Teague, Derrick Rose, Andrew Wiggins, Taj Gibson, and Towns.

It would be good to see that group excel, as it has not looked great early. Instead it has been the bench unit that has impressed, and for the rookies Josh Okogie and Keita Bates-Diop, it’s important that they continue to show well in order to fight for playing time once the games actually count.

Enjoy the game. Chat here. Go Wolves.