Minnesota at Portland

Each of these teams started slow last season, but finished strong. Minnesota has little to prove after making the Western Conference Finals in each of the previous two seasons. Portland is a home underdog, but has an impressive corps of players that went 23-18 in the second half of the season. Guard Shaedon Sharpe (18.5 ppg) and forward Deni Avdija (16.9 ppg, 7.3 rpg) are emerging stars, while 7-2 center Donovan Clingan (7.9 rebounds per game) was a dominant defensive force as a rookie. They also added another strong defensive player, guard Jrue Holiday, from the Celtics, so back the home dog. Play Portland.