Jimmy Butler's first game back with the Timberwolves wasn't quite the disaster some were expecting

It looks like Jimmy Butler and the Minnesota Timberwolves might really be doing this.

After an offseason that could be charitably described as “tense,” in which Butler held out from the team, cursed out the team and asked out of the team, Butler and the Timberwolves took the floor Tuesday for the team’s season opener and fell 112-108 to the San Antonio Spurs.

Butler’s usage was still an important part of the Timberwolves’ gameplan in their opener, which might be all the team can do now that every trade negotiation for the star has fallen through even though the team’s owner has already conceded Butler is more likely to sign with the Minnesota Twins than the Minnesota Timberwolves after this season.

Despite the loss, it wasn’t quite the ridiculous disaster that some might have expected given the team’s offseason fireworks. In fact, the T-Wolves even managed to show some resiliency.

Timberwolves got off to rocky start

The Timberwolves did actually look as rocky as expected to open the game, with each team’s first two possessions including a total brick from Andrew Wiggins, a goaltend from Karl-Anthony Towns and a travel from Wiggins.

Such play was right in line with Butler’s complaints about Wiggins and Towns throughout the offseason, taunting and insulting them throughout Butler’s first practice back with the Timberwolves. He also reportedly held a player-only meeting to assert his authority as leader over the team he is actively trying to leave.

The Timberwolves didn’t get much better for the rest of the quarter, trailing 31-23 after 12 minutes of play. You could have been forgiven for assuming the team would phone it in from there, but their play would soon change.

Jimmy Butler ties it late

Minnesota slowly clawed back during the second and third quarters and took a two-point lead into the fourth quarter. However, Towns got into foul trouble early and eventually fouled out midway through the fourth quarter.

Butler also sat out more minutes than usual, which makes sense given that he missed the entire NBA preseason due to his holdout. Head coach Tom Thibodeau before the game that the forward would play in “shorter segments.”

Butler was productive, if a little inefficient, when he was on the floor, posting 23 points on 9-of-23 shooting with seven rebounds, three assists and four steals in 32 minutes. His final points were the biggest, when he nailed a three-pointer with 43 seconds left to tie the game at 108-108.

As for the teammates that Butler has openly derided, Towns didn’t do much of anything due to his foul trouble, posting just eight points on 2-of-6 shooting, while Wiggins posted a solid effort with 20 points on 8-of-18 shooting. A combined performance like that probably wasn’t what the Timberwolves had in mind when they signed the two young players to to max contract extensions this offseason.

Butler dodges trade question after game

Despite everything that Butler has done, said and screamed this offseason, he was still diplomatic about the situation after the loss. He even alluded to playing 81 more games with Minnesota, though he did drop a ridiculous line about there being “nothing” he can do about a possible trade that he has very much done things to push into reality.

The rest of the locker room was in fairly high spirits after the game.

Game 1 for the Timberwolves wasn’t a win, but it also wasn’t a disaster. It’s probably going to go in one of those directions sooner rather than later.

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