Although the first month of the NBA season does not last long, the games played in October maintain importance as teams look to get off to fast starts. MinnesotaBets.com – your source for Minnesota sports betting - utilized ChampsorChumps.us to find the records of every NBA team in October since the 2017-18 season, allowing us to determine the best and worst teams during the season’s first calendar month.
Not all teams participated in the same number of October games, so franchises were ranked based on winning percentage. (Note that the 2020-21 season featured no October regular season games because of the schedule changes caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.) Now, see how each team has performed in October since 2017:
What’s Next Step for Timberwolves?
Coming off consecutive playoff appearances for the first time since 2004, the Minnesota Timberwolves find themselves in an awkward spot heading into the season. On paper, the team appears talented, but questions remain on whether Minnesota can take the next step beyond back-to-back first round losses in a deep Western Conference.
Following their 4-1 series loss to the eventual champions, the Denver Nuggets, the Timberwolves largely elected to run it back with the same personnel this season. Taurean Prince, Austin Rivers and Jaylen Nowell were not retained, and Troy Brown Jr. and Shake Milton were acquired in free agency. All five starters from the end of last year return, along with key rotation pieces Kyle Anderson and Naz Reid.
The continued development of Anthony Edwards towards superstardom, improved health from Karl-Anthony Towns (he played just 29 games last season) and the potential smoothing of Rudy Gobert’s fit in Year 2 with the team offer reasons for optimism in Minnesota. However, oddsmakers still expect the Timberwolves will face a fight just to make it to the play-in tournament this season.
There are no Minnesota sports apps until mobile wagering becomes legal, potentially in 2024. But on the national scale, DraftKings gives Minnesota +3500 odds to win the West, good for 10th in the conference despite a projected over/under win total several games above .500. The TWolves’ projected regular season win total of 44.5 puts them in a tie with the Sacramento Kings, New Orleans Pelicans and Oklahoma City Thunder per DraftKings, although the Kings and Pelicans sport +2500 odds to win the West while the Thunder are listed at +4500.
With the West so competitive, it heightens the need for the Timberwolves to start well, as any playoff contender that falls into an early hole will face immense pressure to climb back into contention. While Minnesota has gone just 213-251 over the last six seasons, the Timberwolves own an 18-13 record in October since 2017-18, good for an October win percentage over 12 percentage points higher than their regular season win percentage during that stretch.
This year, Minnesota’s October games involve three contests with Eastern Conference opponents. That’s an area where the team would love to improve, after going just 13-17 vs. the East last season. To begin the season, the Timberwolves travel to Toronto to take on the Raptors on Oct. 25, followed by the home opener against the Miami Heat Oct. 28 and then another road game at the Atlanta Hawks Oct. 30.
Minnesota split its season series with Toronto and Miami 1-1 in 2022-23, but took both games from Atlanta, one of only three Eastern Conference teams it swept last year along with Cleveland and Indiana.
While none of the Timberwolves’ first three opponents are projected to finish in the top four in the East, all three are expected to vie for playoff spots with the Heat sporting the fifth best odds in the conference, the Hawks the seventh and the Raptors ninth. Minnesota and the Hawks currently possess the same title odds at +7500, according to DraftKings, tied for 16th in the league.
While we wait for possible sports betting legislature in 2024, stay close to BetMinnesota.com for news updates and for Minnesota sports betting promos when the launch happens.
