10/20 Utah Jazz at Minnesota Timberwolves: Keys to the Game

The Utah Jazz will face a tough contest in their first road bout of the year as they’ll take on the new and improved Minnesota Timberwolves.

The Utah Jazz’s 2017-18 season got off to an exhilarating start as the Jazz were able to use a late 24-5 run to erase a 15-point deficit and defeat the Denver Nuggets by a score of 106-96 in the season opener. Although it took the Jazz a while to get going, the final result yielded several positive takeaways.

However, the Jazz will be heavily tested right away as they get set to take on yet another divisional foe in the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday. The Wolves drastically underachieved last season despite their promising young core, but after an exceptional offseason that saw them add the likes of Jimmy Butler, Jeff Teague, Jamal Crawford and Taj Gibson, they figure to be much-improved this year.

Yet their season didn’t get off to quite the start they might have hoped as they fell to the Kawhi Leonard-less San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday. Still, Minnesota figures to be a daunting foe this season that many have projected as a top-5 team in the Western Conference, so the Jazz will have to bring their A-game for more than just the final 12 minutes if they hope to come away on top.

And to gain the edge over a formidable Timberwolves squad, Utah will especially have to excel in the following key areas.