The usual stout defense the Timberwolves put on every night has not been there to begin the season as they rank No. 25 on that end to start. The loss of Anthony Edwards to a hamstring injury will be something to keep an eye on in the Twin Cities, but Julius Randle is more than capable of carrying the offense until Edwards returns.

Jaylen Brown scored 32 points and the Boston Celtics knocked Philadelphia from the ranks of the unbeaten 109-108 on Friday as the NBA Cup in-season tournament began. In the NBA Cup, all 30 NBA teams were drawn into six five-team groups with each club playing four games through November 28 that will count in round-robin Cup play and the regular-season standings.