November 7, 2026 at 5:15 AM UTC

Pregame Analysis

Wolves Look to Stay Steady Without Edwards as Struggling Jazz Visit

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Minnesota's balanced start should be enough against a thin, slumping Utah team.

This page is the pregame analysis. The box score is the main page for the game, and the matchup history collects every meeting between these teams.

Minnesota will be without Anthony Edwards for about two months after right knee arthroscopy, and that loss removes the Timberwolves' top scorer. The Wolves still arrive at 6-3 after bouncing back from a loss to Golden State in their first game without him. That makes this a test of whether their early success can hold up, and Utah is a favorable opponent for finding out.

The Timberwolves' record is built on dominance, not narrow escapes. All six wins have come by double digits, four of them by 20 or more, and that has given them the league's best Net Rating. A team that wins that comfortably is getting its production from the whole roster, which should help it absorb Edwards' absence against a Jazz team that struggles to score.

Utah has had a rough start. The Jazz opened 1-7, were on a six-game losing streak, rank 29th in offensive rating and shoot just 31.5 percent from three. Their frontcourt is also depleted, with Jaren Jackson Jr. out with a torn right MCL and Jusuf Nurkic out with a right second plantar plate tear. Lauri Markkanen is playing through a wrist sprain and has had to adjust, so Utah's top player is not fully healthy either.

Keyonte George is the Jazz's clearest bright spot. He scored 39 points with nine assists and four steals in 44 minutes in an overtime loss to New Orleans. Utah may need a similar workload from him, but one guard carrying that load is hard to sustain against a team that has controlled most of its games. Without Edwards, Minnesota should still win through depth and defense, pulling away in the second half.

Prediction: Timberwolves 118, Jazz 105.

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