Utah @ Minnesota preview

Last Meeting ( Apr 7, 2017 ) Minnesota 113, Utah 120

The new-look Minnesota Timberwolves stumbled out of the gate with some meager contributions from a handful of newcomers. The Utah Jazz had no such issues with a retooled roster in their opener and look to stay perfect on the young season when they visit the Timberwolves on Friday night.

Playing their first game since losing longtime star Gordon Hayward to free agency, the Jazz rallied around holdover Alec Burks (16 points in 15 minutes) in a 106-96 win over Denver on Wednesday. "It's surreal," Burks - who averaged just 33.3 games over the last three seasons due to injury - told reporters. "I've been through a lot, injury-wise. It's just great to be out there healthy. ... I was aggressive and things happened to open up. Teams start relaxing. Things happen." Andrew Wiggins scored 26 points to lead Minnesota in its 107-99 loss to San Antonio and Karl-Anthony Towns added 18 and 13 rebounds. Imports Jimmy Butler, Jeff Teague and Taj Gibson combined for 29 points on 11-of-29 shooting.

TV: 8 p.m. ET, AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain (Utah), FS North (Minnesota)

ABOUT THE JAZZ (1-0): Utah led the NBA in scoring defense last season (96.8 points per game) and was right on that mark in the opener, limiting the Nuggets to 13 fourth-quarter points and forcing 22 turnovers overall. "I think we were persistent defensively — we talked about the defensive identity," coach Quin Snyder said while pointing out the contributions on that end of the floor by forwards Derrick Favors, Thabo Sefolosha and Ekpe Udoh. Center Rudy Gobert led five players in double figures with 18 points and hauled in a team-high 10 boards.

ABOUT THE TIMBERWOLVES (0-1): Teague was brought in as a potentially stabilizing presence at the point guard position, but he saw backup Tyus Jones get just as much action and guide the team down the stretch. Jones finished with a plus-nine rating while Teague was minus-17 as the starters were largely outplayed by San Antonio's first five. Veteran Jamal Crawford had a solid debut with the team by chipping in 10 points and five assists off the bench.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Jazz SF Joe Ingles made 3-of-5 3-pointers in the opener after finishing fourth in the NBA last season from beyond the arc at 44.1 percent.

2. Minnesota won its home opener last season by 36 points over Memphis, the fourth-largest margin of victory in franchise history.

3. The visiting team won 10 of the past 15 meetings.

PREDICTION: Timberwolves 105, Jazz 102