Timberwolves jump to No. 6 in ESPN power rankings as LaMelo Ball carries the offense
ESPN moves the 8-3 Timberwolves from 11th to sixth and names LaMelo Ball their best newcomer as Minnesota hosts Dallas on Thursday.
The Minnesota Timberwolves are now a top-six team in ESPN's weekly NBA power rankings. The panel moved them up five spots from 11th, and they now sit behind only San Antonio, the Lakers, Oklahoma City, Philadelphia and Boston. ESPN also named LaMelo Ball, acquired from Charlotte in a June trade, as Minnesota's best newcomer of the young season.
The Wolves made the climb without their best player. Anthony Edwards had an arthroscopic debridement on his right knee on Oct. 29, according to Yahoo Sports, via USA Today, and the team said it expects him to make a full recovery. ESPN's Ben Golliver wrote that Ball formed a strong partnership with Edwards right away. Since Edwards went out, Ball has kept Minnesota's offense among the league's top 10, and he is on pace to become the first Timberwolf since D'Angelo Russell in 2022-23 to average at least six assists.
The other side of the trade has gone badly for Charlotte. ESPN noted that the Hornets ranked fifth in offensive efficiency last season and now rank last. Golliver summed up the deal in two words: "No takebacks."
The record supports the higher ranking. Minnesota is 8-3 and has won four in a row, beating Milwaukee 112-100, winning 117-107 at Houston and 115-109 at New Orleans, and then beating Utah 115-100. The Wolves average about 118 points and allow about 107, which works out to a margin of roughly 11 points per game. All three losses came against teams with winning or near-winning starts: by two points at Cleveland, by five at home to Golden State and by 10 at San Antonio. Anything Minnesota gets from Edwards when he returns will come on top of that.
What it means for Thursday against Dallas
Dallas comes to Target Center on Thursday, Nov. 12, at 7-4. ESPN dropped the Mavericks two spots to 15th. Their wins include games against Oklahoma City and Houston, and they beat Brooklyn 130-93 on Sunday. Zaccharie Risacher, ESPN's pick as the Mavericks' top newcomer, has drawn some of the hardest defensive assignments for coach Dusty May. The game opens a three-game road trip for Dallas, which goes on to Cleveland and Boston. Minnesota stays home for all three of its next games, against Dallas, Chicago and Portland, and is 4-1 at home so far.
The Timberwolves are favored. On this site's board for the game, Novig lists Minnesota at -199 on the moneyline and Dallas at +190. The spread is Minnesota -5.5, with both sides at -102 on Novig. Novig sets the total at 227.5, with the over at -104 and the under at -100. That number is a little above the 225 combined points Minnesota's games have averaged. FanDuel has the best over price across the 12 venues, at -110 on 226.5.
The venues are close on the price itself and further apart on the margin they keep. On the moneyline, the sportsbooks' hold runs from 3.3% to 5.8%. Novig's two moneyline prices work out to about 1%. On the spread, sportsbook hold ranges from 2.9% to 5.2%.
The Wolves' season numbers and schedule are on our Timberwolves page.