When you think of the NBA’s Northwest Division, you immediately think of long flights. This is true when you consider that cities in this area are spaced so far apart. You have Minnesota, which could very well be in the East, and you have Portland, which is all the way in the upper left corner of the country.
Putting all those air miles aside, there are other things to look at like the odd stories that come with each team’s schedule.
Here are some of those storylines.
Denver Nuggets
Things could get pretty weird for Russell Westbrook from March 9 to 19. In those 11 days, he will face the Oklahoma City Thunder twice, the Los Angeles Lakers twice, and will have a game against the Washington Wizards. Those are teams he used to play for, in case you were wondering.
Nikola Jokić and Russell Westbrook seem to enjoy playing together pic.twitter.com/7Nhi00Hlf8
— Matt Brooks (@MattBrooksNBA) October 14, 2024
Minnesota Timberwolves
It is their time to shine. The Timberwolves and their popularity are on the rise, so the NBA has no choice but to ride that wave. The team will have 25 televised games. How big of a deal is that? Well, they had 10 last season. That is quite a big jump.
Oklahoma City Thunder
Head coach Mark Daigneault of the Thunder probably thought about celebrating his upcoming 40th birthday this coming February. As it turns out, he might have to postpone that celebration. How can you have a party when you have to be in Minnesota to play the Timberwolves, hop on a plane, and then play those same Timberwolves the very next night in Oklahoma?
Alex Caruso on Mark Daigneault:
“He lays out the expectations for the team. When you have a young team like the Thunder do — like we do — you take those expectations and those guys will run through a wall for a coach that believes and trusts them.” pic.twitter.com/jHgd6AMY4I
— Joel Lorenzi (@jxlorenzi) June 24, 2024
Portland Trail Blazers
A lot of Western foes. That is what Portland will think of once the season starts. Of the first 30 scheduled games, the squad will only face three opponents from the NBA’s Eastern Conference. They will even go through a six-day span where they face the Timberwolves three times.
Utah Jazz
If you are ex-Boston Celtic Svi Mykhailiuk, then you are excited about the month of March when you will receive the championship ring you won last June. You will also be dreading that month because your current team, the Jazz, will have four games a week for four consecutive weeks.
Svi Mykhailiuk finished with 16 points in his preseason debut for the Jazz tonight! pic.twitter.com/4L6siQCPQi
— Jayhawks In The NBA (@NBA_Jayhawks) October 13, 2024
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