Nus Board · NBA

Timberwolves vs Pistons: Lay the Short Number at Home

By The Sports Nus Staff | October 14, 2026

Wednesday, 8:00 PM ET · Target Center, Minneapolis · NBA preseason

Illustration of an empty basketball arena at night with a single basketball glowing at center court

The Timberwolves are playing like the regular season already started. At 3-1 in the preseason, Minnesota just dismantled the Knicks 122-104 behind Jaden McDaniels' 22 points on 8-of-12 shooting, and now they lay a short number at home against Detroit.

The Pistons are 1-1 and still in ramp-up mode. Cade Cunningham and Jalen Duren sat out the last game against Washington, and while both are expected to get some run before opening night, preseason minutes for stars coming off rest are about rhythm, not results.

DraftKings has Minnesota -2.5 at -109, and the Wolves have been the sharper, deeper team all October. At home, against a team treating this as a tune-up, two and a half points is a gift.

The preseason caveat always applies: rotations get weird late. But Minnesota's second unit has been outplaying opponents' second units too. The Wolves win this by more than a bucket.

Betting angle

Timberwolves -2.5 (-109). The board's play. The sharper team, the home floor, and a short number against a squad still finding its legs.

Timberwolves ML (-138). If the hook scares you in an exhibition, the moneyline is the safer route to the same read.

Key Facts

VIA lineups.com, DraftKings Sportsbook, theScore.

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