Utah Jazz didn't need traded stars to dispatch high-expectations Timberwolves

The Denver Nuggets were opening the season on Wednesday night on the road in Utah. The Jazz had traded stars Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert.

Somehow, a pregame show from Denver appeared on the television and the optimism spewing forth from the Nuggets panelists was wide-eyed.

Just for giggles, I checked back close to an hour later and it was a blowout in favor the Jazz. The final became 123-102, Utah.

That upset came in front of Utah's loyal and long-time collection of fans, upset for sure with the Mitchell trade, but willing to cheer rabidly once this squad started tearing up the Nuggets.

The emotional edge would not exist on Friday. The Jazz would be coming to Minneapolis to face a Timberwolves club with the highest expectations since the Kevin Garnett playoff years.

The Wolves weren't much to look at in their opener against an Oklahoma City team dedicated to losing 60 or more and getting a shot in the lottery at Victor Wembanyana, the French teenager with superstar projections.

That final was 115-108, and coach Chris Finch talked of a need for more physical play and handling the opponents' desire to run against a bigger Wolves team.

D'Angelo Russell, the unpredictable point guard, was at his best in the first quarter: hitting bunny jumpers, making passes, keeping the pace rapid. He was the trigger for a 41-point quarter — a 41-26 lead.

Except you could also observe this: the Jazz kept competing fiercely, with players like Lauri Markkanen, the 7-footer that the Wolves first drafted for the Chicago Bulls in the Jimmy Butler trade, and Kelly Olynyk, a 6-foot-11 journeyman who wound up making 5-of-6 three-pointers.

They combined for 45 points. And the guards, veteran Mike Conley and newcomer Collin Sexton, and Jordan Clarkson, supposedly available in a trade but cold-blooded in bringing back the Jazz with 7-of-12 threes.

Eventually, it took a minor miracle for the Wolves to get to overtime at 120-all, and then in those five minutes it was all Russell and Karl-Anthony Towns trying to get it done.

Anthony Edwards didn't get a shot. Jaylen Nowell, extra-tough to guard, didn't get off the bench.

Each time, Jarred Vanderbilt rebounded those misses, and after the second, Conley was fed for a three-pointer and a 128-126 lead.

Wolves coach Chris Finch called a timeout with 1:01 left. The Jazz raced with enthusiasm to the huddle led by 34-year-old coach Will Hardy.

The Jazz would win that overtime, 12-6, for a 132-126 victory. The MVP of the overtime was Vanderbilt, the defensive and rebounding specialist who contributed mightily to the Wolves' return to the playoffs after last season.

Vanderbilt had six rebounds, a steal and a game-finishing dunk in those five OT minutes.

Later, in the visitors' locker room, he was looking at a stat sheet. He saw only two baskets for himself, but 14 rebounds that produced a gigantic Vanderbilt smile.

The smile grew wider and Vanderbilt said: "This team is a lot of fun. We're picked by no one, but we have a lot of players, a lot of depth."

Any exchange with Towns, your fellow Kentucky Wildcat?

"KAT didn't say nothing to me," Vanderbilt said. "Nothing to say. We won the battle.''

Those 41 points given up in the first quarter … what changed?

"Simple. We started getting back on defense," Vanderbilt said. "They had to beat us down court to score on us. They couldn't score on us in their set offense. We knew that."