Timberwolves Wrap: Jazz defeat Wolves, 98-85

The Timberwolves had another shockingly rough night on the offensive end of the floor, ultimately falling to a Jazz team fighting for a playoff spot.

The Wolves actually played fairly well to open the game and were even in a good spot after the first bench stint in the second quarter. Minnesota led by a point in the waning seconds of the first half before Rodney Hood knocked down a corner three at the buzzer, giving the Jazz a 51-49 lead at the break.

From there, the Jazz interior defenders and perimeter scorers dominated the proceedings. With Zach LaVine (1-9 FG, three points), Gorgui Dieng (2-4 FG, four points in 10 minutes), and Ricky Rubio (2-8 FG, six points) non-factors offensively, the Wolves were never able to get any traction from an offensive perspective.

Wiggins dominated early and Towns scored 12 points in the third quarter, but that was about it on that end of the floor for the visitors.

Nemanja Bjelica was very effective, however, leading to Dieng only playing 10 minutes in an odd decision from Sam Mitchell to counter Utah’s massive lineup with a stretch-four in Bjelica. He played well, of course, but limiting Dieng’s playing time as much as Mitchell did was an interesting choice.

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The Serbian rookie was solid on both ends, asserting himself on offense by driving and kicking out to open shooters and shooting open jumpers himself, as well as being surprisingly active on defense. It was refreshing to see after what has been a very rough first season in the NBA for Bjelica.

Down the stretch, defense was every bit as much the problem as offense, and the lack of defensive rebounding for the Karl-Anthony Towns-Bjelica front line without Dieng on the floor was part of the Wolves’ downfall late in the game.

It was a disappointing showing, but at least there was a bit more effort than Wednesday’s embarrassment at home against the Clippers.

Tweet of the Night

Star of the Night

Rodney Hood -“ 17 points (7-10 FG, 1-3 3P, 2-2 FT), 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, one turnover

No single player dominated this game, and while both Wiggins and Towns played extremely well for stretches for the Wolves, neither had a consistent performance overall.

Hood was ultra-efficient for the Jazz, taking advantage of a number of defensive lapses from the Wolves and hitting a huge, buzzer-beating three at the conclusion of the first half. He was the perfect model of taking what the defense was giving him all evening long.

Notable Timberwolves Lines

Karl-Anthony Towns – 17 points (6-15 FG, 1-1 3P, 4-5 3P), 11 rebounds, 3 assists, one block, 3 turnovers

Andrew Wiggins – 24 points (11-21 FG, 2-6 3P, 0-2 FT), 2 rebounds (2 offensive, zero defensive), one assist, one steal, 2 turnovers

Zach LaVine – 2 points (1-9 FG, 1-5 3P), 6 assists, 2 rebounds, one steal, 3 turnovers

Nemanja Bjelica – 15 points (6-8 FG, 3-4 3P), 8 rebounds, 2 assists, zero turnovers, 35 minutes

Ricky Rubio – 6 points (2-8 FG, 1-4 3P, 1-1 FT), 9 assists, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 turnovers

Who’s Next?

The Wolves will head back to Minneapolis to host the Dallas Mavericks for a 2:30 p.m. matinee on Sunday at Target Center. It’s yet another game for the Wolves against a team fighting to make the playoffs, as the Mavs are tied with the Jazz for the seventh/eighth seed while the Houston Rockets sit just one game back.

Next: On Bill Simmons' Wolves-Thunder Comparison

It’s a stretch of winnable games for the Wolves, to be sure, but tough in that each of these teams has their season on the line. Minnesota has to come to play on Sunday afternoon, and then get ready for a nationally-televised game against the mighty Warriors in the Bay Area on Tuesday night.