Roundup
Denver Nuggets
Minnesota Timberwolves
Oklahoma City Thunder
Portland Trail Blazers
Utah Jazz
Timberwolves and Trail Blazers stay perfect, Northwest Division roundup
The Timberwolves and Trail Blazers both moved to 2-0 on Friday, while the Thunder made a two-way move and Denver navigated a minor early-season injury.
By the PickALeague Newsroom · Published · Source: PickALeagueSummary written with AI assistance — how we workLire en français →
Timberwolves cruise past Magic to stay unbeaten
The Minnesota Timberwolves kept their strong start rolling with a 115-93 win over the Orlando Magic. The convincing victory pushes Minnesota to 2-0 and keeps the Wolves near the top of the Northwest Division standings. Karl-Anthony Towns’ name appears in league-wide headlines, but the available summary offers no specific update on his situation; on the floor, Minnesota simply handled business at both ends.
Trail Blazers win shootout to move to 2-0
The Portland Trail Blazers also remain perfect at 2-0 after a 128-120 win over the Sacramento Kings. Portland came out on top in a high-scoring matchup, keeping pace in a crowded early-season Northwest race with Minnesota and Oklahoma City. According to Hoops Rumors, the Blazers are among 17 teams that opened the season carrying just 14 players on standard contracts, preserving flexibility to tweak the roster as the schedule unfolds.
Thunder: payroll under the microscope and a new two-way
Hoops Rumors reports that the Oklahoma City Thunder and wing Micah Peavy have agreed to a two-way deal, citing Shams Charania (ESPN) and Michael Scotto (HoopsHype). The same reports note that Oklahoma City’s three two-way slots are currently held by Brooks Barnhizer, Josh Dix and Otega Oweh. In a separate Thunder update, Hoops Rumors relays ESPN reporting that OKC is projected to carry roughly $250 million in salary next season with about $200 million in luxury tax payments, leading rival executives to watch closely to see who might eventually become available. For now, the Thunder are a tidy 2-0 in the Northwest.
Nuggets and Jazz: early-season personnel notes
For the Denver Nuggets, Hoops Rumors relays The Denver Post’s report that Spencer Jones was a last-minute scratch for Thursday’s season opener in Oklahoma City. The backup forward has been dealing with a hamstring issue since training camp, even though he had told reporters over the weekend that he expected to be ready. Denver opened the year with a loss and sits at 0-1. The Utah Jazz are 1-1, with no additional specifics in the current batch of reports. Finally, Hoops Rumors notes that the Timberwolves, Thunder and Trail Blazers are among the 17 teams that began the season with just 14 players on standard contracts, a common strategic choice in this year’s opening week.