Minneapolis/St. Paul – The Minnesota Timberwolves today announced the team's three-game preliminary round schedule for the NBA Summer League 2017 in Las Vegas. The Wolves, who own the No. 7 selection in Thursday’s 2017 NBA Draft, begin their schedule with a contest against the Toronto Raptors, who own the No. 23 pick, on July 8 at the Thomas & Mack Center.
From July 7-17, a record 24 NBA teams will participate in the 11-day, 67-game league which culminates in a tournament-style format to crown the NBA Summer League Champion. Teams will compete in three preliminary games beginning on July 7 before being seeded in a tournament that leads to the Championship Game on July 17. Each team will play at least five games in Las Vegas.
This summer will mark the 11th NBA Summer League in Las Vegas appearance for the Wolves (2006-10, 2012-17) where they are 25-30 all-time. A year ago the Wolves went 4-4 in Summer League play, including rattling off four tournament wins in five days to reach the title game. Wolves guard Tyus Jones took home Most Valuable Player honors after averaging 19.4 points on 45.7 percent shooting to go with 6.3 assists, 4.0 rebounds and 1.3 steals in seven contests.
ESPN will present all 67 games from Las Vegas across ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU and the ESPN App, including 35 on its linear television channels. NBA TV will air 28 games, starting with the league’s opener on July 7, when the Toronto Raptors meet the New Orleans Pelicans at 6 p.m. ET. In total, 63 games from Las Vegas will air across ESPN and NBA TV’s linear channels – a Summer League record.
The field features the teams that hold the top five overall picks in NBA Draft 2017 presented by State Farm: the Celtics (No. 1), Lakers (No. 2), Philadelphia 76ers (No. 3), Phoenix Suns (No. 4) and Sacramento Kings (No. 5). In total, eight of the top 10 picks in this month’s draft belong to teams that will play in Las Vegas.
The Lakers will be part of the opening-day schedule on Friday, July 7 at the Thomas & Mack Center as they face the L.A. Clippers, who are appearing in the NBA Summer League for the first time since 2014 (8:30 p.m. ET, ESPN). The second day of action is scheduled to include the top three selections of NBA Draft 2017 presented by State Farm, with ESPN’s matchup between the Celtics and Lakers followed by ESPN2’s telecast of Philadelphia vs. the Golden State Warriors at 10:30 p.m. ET.
On Monday, July 10, NBA TV presents a doubleheader beginning with a 2017 NBA Finals rematch between the NBA Champion Warriors and finalist Cleveland Cavaliers at 8:30 p.m. ET, followed by a 10:30 p.m. ET game between the Lakers and Kings.
Teams will play three preliminary games between July 7-11 before being seeded in a tournament that starts on July 12 and concludes with the Championship Game on Monday, July 17. Each team will play a minimum of five games in Las Vegas.
Tickets for NBA Summer League 2017 are on sale now. Fans can purchase tickets by visiting NBATickets.com.
The entire Timberwolves preliminary round schedule is as follows:
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