The Timberwolves had to make do in their preseason finale without guard D'Angelo Russell, who was kept out largely as a precaution with right ankle soreness.
Russell's seemingly minor injury underscored an important point about how the season may go — with a compressed training camp and the long layoff for many player since their last competitive games, there could be an uptick in injuries. It also underscored the need for the Wolves to have depth at the point guard position.
In Thursday's 129-127 win over the Mavericks in Dallas, Ricky Rubio started in Russell's place while Jarrett Culver and Jaylen Nowell took over ball-handling duties at times.