Wolves to open season at Toronto, face Heat in home-opener

Looking to build off last year’s playoff appearance, the Minnesota Timberwolves will get a tough test right out of the gates this season.

The NBA released the 2023-24 schedule Thursday, which has Minnesota opening on the road in Toronto on Oct. 25 before playing host to Miami on Oct. 28. Twin Cities affiliate KSTP originally published this post.

Other early-season highlights include a visit from the reigning champion Nuggets on Nov. 1, the Celtics on Nov. 6, a trip to play No. 1 pick Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs on Nov. 10 to start the in-season tournament, and two games at Golden State in three days in mid-November, one of which will be part of the in-season tournament.

Five of the first seven games for Minnesota will be at home.

The Lakers will visit Target Center on Dec. 21 and Dec. 30 while the Warriors aren’t slated to visit until March 24.

This year marks the first time Minnesota will open the season on the road since the 2019-20 season and the first time the team has ever started a campaign in Toronto.

Minnesota’s schedule features a season-long seven-game homestand from late February to early March that will also be the longest homestand in franchise history. Meanwhile, the team has five road trips that are at least four games long, with the longest being a six-game swing in mid-March that will be the club’s longest since the 2010-11 season.

The Wolves are slated to play 13 back-to-back games this season — four with both at home, five with both away, three road matchups followed by a home game, and one home game followed by a road game.

Overall, the Timberwolves are scheduled to play in 10 nationally televised games, including two on TNT (Jan. 18 and March 12), three on ESPN (Feb. 28, March 10 and April 10), and five on NBATV (Dec. 20, Jan. 1, March 19, April 5 and April 7).

Minnesota finished last regular season at 42-40, eighth in the Western Conference, before losing a first-round series to the eventual champion Nuggets in five games.

CLICK HERE to see the full schedule.