Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Indiana Pacers
Date: October 7th, 2025
Time: 7:00 PM CDT
Location: Target Center
Television Coverage: FanDuel Sports Network – North
Radio Coverage: KFAN FM, Wolves App, iHeart Radio
Finally… The Timberwolves Have Come Back to Target Center
It’s been a long wait for Wolves fans, who last saw their team in this building dropping Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals to the Oklahoma City Thunder. It was a gut-punch two-point loss that put them down 3–1 in a series they’d never recover from. Days later, their dream season ended,
OKC danced into the Finals, and the Wolves were left wondering how close is too close.
Since then, we’ve had a great Lynx season, but for those of us who grew up on Pooh Richardson, Doug West, and Tony Campbell, nothing replaces Wolves basketball.
The Return to the Den
And now they’re back for their preseason home debut against the defending Eastern Conference champs, the Indiana Pacers. Yes, those same Pacers who dragged the Thunder to seven games in the Finals last year before Tyrese Haliburton’s achilles gave out and the dream went sideways.
Meanwhile, the Wolves enter the 2025–26 season healthy. Knock on every piece of Minnesota pine you can find, because health has been the silent saboteur of this team for years. Chris Finch knows that keeping Ant, Randle, and Rudy Gobert intact is priority number one, and after a scorching-hot showing in San Diego, it looks like they’re easing into this season the right way.
The Wolves handled the Denver Nuggets in that preseason opener for their eighth straight win over Nikola Jokic and the champs, if we’re counting (and we are). The team looked loose and connected. The core three of Jaden McDaniels, Rudy Gobert, and Naz Reid laid a thumping on Denver in the first half, while the young guys, Terrence Shannon Jr., Rob Dillingham, and Jaylen Clark, all showed signs that they are ready for larger roles heading into this season.
Notably absent: Anthony Edwards, Julius Randle, and Mike Conley Jr. All expected, all fine. You don’t need preseason Ant, you just need him to be fully charged when the real games begin.
The Pacers: Grit, Grind, and “How Is Obi Toppin Hitting That?”
The Pacers, for their part, are one of those teams that make you feel slightly uncomfortable. Well-coached, disciplined, and relentless. Even without Haliburton, they bring pace, physicality, and just enough shooting to ruin your night. Wolves fans learned that firsthand last year, when Obi Toppin decided to briefly turn into Reggie Miller and rain threes like it was 1998. Rick Carlisle’s bunch might not have the superstar flash, but they’ll make you earn everything. They’re the basketball equivalent of getting pressed full-court at LA Fitness, annoying, tiring, and frustratingly effective.
The Point Guard Puzzle
Let’s talk about the Wolves’ biggest question mark: point guard depth. Mike Conley Jr. is the adult in the room, the steady hand steering the ship. But he’s also 37. Behind him, it’s a game of musical chairs.
Rob Dillingham has all the tools necessary to become a bona fide floor general in the league. The question is whether he’s capable of using them in a high-pressure post-season situation. Bones Hyland, the re-signed wild card, showed flashes against Denver that made you think maybe, just maybe, the Wolves unearthed a second-unit spark plug. But both are unproven as facilitators. Finch will need one of them to step up before the regular season tips, or Donte DiVincenzo will be the emergency break-glass option nobody is hoping for.
It’s preseason, but these games matter for exactly that reason — to see who can run the offense when Conley sits, and whether the offense that worked so beautifully at times last spring can sustain itself without him.
The Frenchman Files: Beringer Watch
Then there’s Joan Beringer. Drafted 18th overall, the French center feels more like a long-term investment than an immediate contributor, a sort of Dereck Lively-type project who might blossom later in the year when the Wolves inevitably need fresh legs up front. He’s got Gobert and Naz ahead of him, plus Randle occupying frontcourt minutes, but his raw talent is intriguing. You can see flashes. The length. The touch. The timing. Even if it’s clear he’s still learning the NBA rhythm.
If he can become playable by April, that’s found money. And for a team like Minnesota, with real championship aspirations, found money matters.
The Vibe Check
This isn’t a rivalry matchup. It’s not on national TV. It’s not going to trend on social media unless Ant does something absurd like windmill over Pascal Siakam. But it’s still the first Wolves game at Target Center since May, and that means something.
Preseason wins don’t count, but for a team that’s building from one of the best seasons in franchise history, they still matter. The chemistry. The confidence. The connection. All those “C” words that decide whether a team peaks in April or June.
So yeah, it’s Wolves–Pacers in early October. But when the lights come up and that first “Let’s go Wolves!” chant echoes through Target Center, it’ll feel like a little piece of the magic is back.
And for a fanbase that’s waited all summer to exhale? That’s more than enough.
