Timberwolves-Bulls Preseason Finale: Rest Mode Engaged, Under Looks Live

Preseason finales are where rotations go to die, and Friday's Timberwolves-Bulls tilt in Chicago smells like a glorified scrimmage with the intensity of a morning shootaround. Minnesota's sitting Ayo Dosunmu for "rest purposes"—because apparently even exhibition games require load management now—while Chicago's Nic Claxton nurses a hamstring tweak that'll keep him either sidelined or severely limited. Neither squad has any incentive to push tempo or chase points with regular season tipping off next week.

The math here is brutally simple: preseason games already run 8-12 points below regular-season pace thanks to starters logging 20-minute shifts and third-stringers getting extended auditions. Toss in two teams actively protecting assets and you've got a recipe for possessions that look more like half-court drills than competitive basketball. The Bulls' offense sputters without Claxton anchoring the paint, and Minnesota's already shown zero urgency to push in these tune-ups.

DarkHorse likes the under 234.5 with moderate confidence, and it's hard to argue. Both benches will see heavy run in the second half, defensive schemes will be vanilla, and coaches will be more worried about injury reports than box scores. Bet the under and pray nobody decides to accidentally try.