Minnesota Timberwolves at Sacramento Kings
Date: November 9th, 2025
Time: 8:00 PM CST
Location: Golden 1 Center
Television Coverage: FanDuel Sports Network – North
Radio Coverage: Wolves App, iHeart Radio
“The Wolves Wake Up: A 40-Point Beatdown, Some Catharsis, and a Beam to Extinguish”
There’s something deeply satisfying about watching your basketball team snap out of its funk and bludgeon an inferior opponent into dust. It’s not noble. It’s not sophisticated. It’s just therapy.
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After a second-half collapse against the Knicks that would’ve made the 2019 Wolves blush, Minnesota showed up in NBA Cup play and absolutely throttled the Utah Jazz by 40. Forty! That’s not a win. That’s a statement.
For one glorious night, everything clicked. The defense looked like it cared again. The rotations were crisp. Guys boxed out. Rudy didn’t get caught staring at the rim like it was a philosophical question. Anthony Edwards dropped 37 points in just 26 minutes, and Julius Randle casually went triple-double hunting like it was a Tuesday cardio session.
This was the kind of game Wolves fans needed, both spiritually and strategically. Because if you’re one of the sickos who actually cares about the NBA Cup (hi, I’m one of them), you know point differential matters. The Wolves’ 40-point nuclear bomb of Utah didn’t just cleanse the stink of Madison Square Garden, it also gave them a tiebreaker boost in their Cup group. For once, this team didn’t coast after building a 25-point lead. They stomped.
The Lesson: Don’t Play Down to the Competition
For two straight seasons, the Wolves have treated games like this like a chore. They’d build a lead, get cute, lose focus, and let some G-Leaguer torch them for 28. Not this time.
From the opening tip, it was clear the Wolves weren’t messing around. They played with real pace. They defended with purpose. They didn’t let Utah’s shooting variance pull them into one of those “why are we tied in the third quarter?” games that make you question every decision you’ve made as a fan.
Now, with a back-to-back against Sacramento and Utah looming, the Wolves have an opportunity to stack some momentum and maybe — maybe — build an actual identity again.
Key No. 1: Keep the Effort Up
Yes, it’s cliché. Yes, every coach says it. But with this team? It’s not about clichés. It’s about habits.
The Wolves ran up the score against Utah because it mattered. Point differential counts in Cup play. That urgency needs to carry over. Sacramento isn’t a pushover. They’re scrappy, shoot-happy, and capable of catching fire at home. But Minnesota has a clear talent advantage here.
The challenge is avoiding that “we already fixed it” mentality. The Jazz win can’t be a one-night cleanse followed by another lazy Sunday. They need to defend like they did on Friday, rebound like it’s oxygen, and treat the Kings with the same intensity they’d reserve for Denver.
Key No. 2: Shut Down the Kings’ Guards
The former Bulls, DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine, make up one of the league’s more quietly dangerous backcourts now that they’ve migrated west. Historically, both have torched the Wolves like a bonfire of bad switches.
Finch will likely lean heavily on Ant, Jaden McDaniels, and Jaylen Clark to swarm DeRozan’s midrange and chase LaVine off the arc. The goal? Turn those two into tough contested shot-makers, not rhythm assassins.
That’s where Edwards’ return to form is massive. When he’s locked in defensively, Ant can blow up possessions on his own. Pair him with McDaniels and Clark, and suddenly Sacramento’s shiny new guard combo doesn’t look so comfortable.
Key No. 3: Win the Battle Inside
Domantas Sabonis might not be Jokic, but he’s the kind of big who can swing a game just by outworking you. He’ll get 17 rebounds, five elbows, and three sneaky screens you’ll still be thinking about in the shower the next morning.
The Wolves can’t let that happen. Between Gobert, Randle, and Naz Reid, the Wolves have the personnel to make Sabonis’ night miserable. Gang rebounding is the name of the game — no second-chance points, no lazy box-outs, no standing around while Sabonis conducts his symphony of tip-ins.
Honestly, it’s not just about Sabonis. Rebounding has been the canary in the coal mine for this team. When they hit the glass with urgency, they win. When they don’t, they look like a pickup team that just met.
Key No. 4: Take Care of the Rock
Remember the Knicks game? Of course you do. It’s burned into your soul. The Wolves turned the ball over like they were auditioning for a blooper reel. Lazy passes. Dribbling into traps. Unforced giveaways that turned into instant buckets the other way.
Against Utah, they cleaned it up… mostly. Outside of a sloppy second-quarter stretch, they controlled the tempo and played within themselves. That discipline needs to travel. Sacramento thrives on chaos. You give them freebies, and they’ll turn it into a 10–0 run before Finch even finds his challenge card.
Key No. 5: The Stars Have to Star
Anthony Edwards reminded everyone why he’s the face of the franchise notching 37 points in 26 minutes, barely breaking a sweat. He looked spry again, attacking off the bounce, pulling up confidently, and playing with that swagger that turns the Target Center into a nightclub.
Expect more minutes in Sacramento. Expect him to keep hunting mismatches and setting the tone early.
Then there’s Randle. Remember when we all wondered if he’d fit here? He’s becoming a triple-double machine, blending power and playmaking. His ability to facilitate by hitting cutters, spacing for Ant, and finding DiVincenzo and McDaniels on the wings has quietly stabilized the offense.
If both of those guys show up, this shouldn’t be close.
The Wolves are now 5–4, looking to climb back toward relevance in the Western Conference after a rocky start. This four-game stretch of doubling up with both Sacramento and Utah is an opportunity to define their early season narrative. Win all four to get to 8-4 and suddenly the Denver matchup feels like a measuring-stick event instead of a survival test.
The Jazz game was the wake-up call. The Kings game? That’s the follow-through.
If the Wolves bring Friday night’s energy, that beam’s staying dark.
