Timberwolves edge Heat, Morant debuts in Portland — Northwest Division roundup

The Northwest Division’s last 24 hours were shaped by a nail-biter in Minnesota and notable updates out of Portland and Utah as teams continue to tune up for the season.

Timberwolves squeeze past Heat in one-point game

The Minnesota Timberwolves came out on the right side of a tight finish, defeating the Miami Heat 125-124. The one-point win pushes Minnesota’s record to 2-1 in the Northwest Division, giving the Wolves an early edge in a group where only a handful of teams have logged multiple games so far.

Ja Morant’s first on-court action with Trail Blazers

According to Hoops Rumors, citing reporting from Jason Quick of The Athletic, Ja Morant took the floor Wednesday night for his first preseason action with the Portland Trail Blazers. His debut reportedly featured both positive signs and some rough patches, but his mindset has been described as the most encouraging takeaway. As relayed by The Athletic, Morant’s attitude in Portland is being viewed as a strong point after prior friction with a previous coaching staff and front office.

Portland sits at 1-0 in the Northwest standings, and the early stages of the Trail Blazers’ schedule now overlap with Morant’s initial minutes in their uniform, setting up one of the division’s key storylines to monitor in the coming days.

Jazz cautious with Filipowski as rest of Northwest holds

On the Utah Jazz side, Hoops Rumors reports that young big man Kyle Filipowski remains in recovery from back surgery he underwent over the summer to address a herniated disc. President of basketball operations Austin Ainge said at the team’s September 28 media day that the procedure specifically targeted that issue, underscoring that Utah is still managing his path back to the floor.

Utah is 1-1, with the Denver Nuggets also at 1-1, the Portland Trail Blazers at 1-0, and the Oklahoma City Thunder at 0-2. None of Denver, Oklahoma City, or Utah played over the last 24 hours, but Minnesota’s narrow win nudges the Wolves ahead for now and subtly raises the urgency for their divisional rivals as the schedule unfolds.

Separately, Hoops Rumors notes that Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton wants to repair his relationship with Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard, which has been strained since Haliburton mimicked Lillard’s “Dame Time” celebration during the 2023 in-season tournament. It’s an off-court subplot that adds another small layer to the ongoing Lillard conversation in Portland.