LaMelo Ball put on a show during his first home game with the Timberwolves Sunday night, but early foul trouble meant that Minnesota fans had to wait to see it, writes Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic. Ball played just five minutes in the first half, then picked up his fourth foul 30 seconds into the third quarter. Coach Chris Finch opted to keep him in the game, and Ball didn’t disappoint from there.

He connected with Jaden McDaniels on a lob pass, then made a highlight move before sinking a three-pointer over Collin Murray-Boyles (Twitter video link). He continued with a series of crowd-pleasing plays on the way to 15 points, eight assists and two steals as the Wolves won their third straight game to start the season.

“I’m just happy I get front-row seats to it,” Terrence Shannon Jr. said of Ball’s three-point shot. “It was crazy seeing it. I was actually talking to him about it on the bench at the end of the game. I’m like, ‘That was crazy.’”

The Ball trade created some controversy in Minnesota because it involved giving up longtime fan favorite Naz Reid, but the dynamic point guard already looks like a game-changing addition. The Wolves outscored Toronto by 33 points in his 16:44 of playing time, and he’s injected a new level of excitement and unpredictability into the offense.

“Just get your head up,” Ball tells his teammates. “Actually, I tried to hit them in the head a couple times the first day (of practice). You get hit in the head one time, you’re always gonna have your head up. That’s how I was as a kid. You don’t want to get hit in the head.”

There’s more from the Northwest Division:

• The roster has changed around him, but Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert says he hasn’t altered his game at all, per Johnny Askounis of Eurohoops. Now in his 14th NBA season, Gobert remains one of the league’s best shot blockers and rebounders. “My role is the same,” he said. “My role is to be who I am, be the best in the world at what I do. And then offensively just dominate, dominate, dominate in my own way, with my running, with my screening, my offensive rebound.”
• Luka Doncic torched the Jazz for 52 points Sunday night, offering a reminder that Utah needs to upgrade its defense to become a serious contender, notes Shreyas Laddha of The Salt Lake Tribune. “These last three years, calling me up, switching me on and making me guard, and they’re going to try to pick on who they think is the worst defender,” Keyonte George said. “… It’s not just about one guy. We got to play team defense. All five guys on our team got to make it tough for these players that we are preparing for.”
• The Trail Blazers showed off their improved depth in Friday’s win at Sacramento, observes Joe Freeman of The Oregonian. Seven players reached double figures in scoring, and Donovan Clingan fell two points short of joining them.