Timberwolves open 2-0 after beating Heat and Magic on road
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The gist
The Minnesota Timberwolves beat the Heat 131-106 and the Magic 115-93 to start 2-0.
The smaller rebuilt roster is out-rebounding opponents by 35, its best margin ever.
Background
The Minnesota Timberwolves are an NBA team that reshaped its frontcourt over the summer, replacing Naz Reid and Julius Randle with LaMelo Ball and Jonathan Kuminga and dropping from 497 pounds to 405 pounds in, making the lineup smaller than at any time since the team traded for center Rudy Gobert four years ago. Head coach Chris Finch worried the team would be overwhelmed on the glass, and outside analysts questioned how it would handle bigger teams. Through two games the opposite has happened, with Minnesota holding a plus-35 rebounding margin, the highest in franchise history, and its 2-0 start is its best in five years.
How it unfolded
- Oct 21, 2026The Timberwolves announced they signed forward Jaden McDaniels to a contract extension.
- Oct 21, 2026Minnesota opened the season at Miami and beat the Heat 131-106, with Anthony Edwards scoring 45 points.
- Oct 23, 2026The Timberwolves beat the Orlando Magic 115-93 in Orlando; Edwards and McDaniels each scored 15 points and Rudy Gobert had 14 points and nine rebounds.
- Oct 24, 2026Minnesota stood at 2-0 with a plus-35 rebounding margin, the highest in franchise history, after out-rebounding the Magic 61-43 and the Heat 52-34.
- Oct 25, 2026The Timberwolves were set to host Toronto in their home opener on Sunday.
Who’s saying what
- Coach
- Chris Finch said the team was one of the worst at watching rebounds last year and has switched to a more aggressive pursuit mentality on both ends.
- Players
- Ayo Dosunmu said a month of hard, competitive scrimmages made games easier and that physical play can frustrate opponents.
- Analysts
- On SI writer Ryan Eichten wrote that if Minnesota finds a player who can slow bigger opponents one-on-one defensively, it might have a championship-caliber team.