The Minnesota Timberwolves can’t always count on buzzer beaters. Here’s what else they need to do to keep winning close games.
It takes four quarters to win a basketball game. But sometimes, it only takes one to lose. Will this year’s Minnesota Timberwolves be able to convert wins down the stretch?
As I watched the Wolves’ lead slip during the fourth quarter against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday, I was having some flashbacks. In recent years, the Timberwolves have been a terrible fourth quarter team. By last November, a 10-point lead at the end of the third quarter felt like a tie game.
On Sunday, I watched that familiar pattern re-emerge. And when Carmelo Anthony hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with under five seconds to go, I braced myself for another disappointing loss.
But last year’s pattern was broken. As time expired, Andrew Wiggins banked a deep 3-ball to bring the Timberwolves’ record to 2-1 on the season.
I’m sure you’ve seen it by now, but I’m also sure you want to see it again.
(Sidebar: Anyone who mentions the screen on that play to me again is no longer my friend.)
On that note, here are four offensive keys to unlocking the fourth quarter for this year’s Timberwolves.
Key #4: Get the ball.
More specifically, crash the offensive boards. Then, make free throws.
When late-game shots aren’t dropping, the Timberwolves need to step up on the boards. It’s way too early in the season to draw sweeping conclusions about our overall ability to rebound the ball, but we’ve certainly seen the difference that offensive rebounding can make in the fourth quarter.
In the Wolves’ season-opener, the Spurs grabbed 10 defensive boards in the final 12 minutes. In a game decided by less than ten points, hustling to tip in a couple of those could have sparked a comeback.
Offensive rebounds also create free throw opportunities, which we need to cash in on. Against the Utah Jazz, we went 6 for 9 from the free throw line in the fourth quarter. If Jamal Crawford had missed one of his three 3-point attempts (which he didn’t), those missed free throws might have haunted us. That being said, we have otherwise held our own at the free throw line so far this season.
Key #3: Keep the ball.
Seriously. Let’s stop giving the ball to the other team.
This is one area that, so far, hasn’t changed a whole lot from last year. Through three games, the Timberwolves are averaging 4.7 turnovers in the fourth quarter alone.
If the Wolves didn’t give up 11 points on turnovers in the fourth quarter against the Thunder, they could have sealed the game before the backboards lit up.
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However, this team has only played eight games with each other so far, including the preseason. They are still figuring out how to play as a team down the stretch, and a few bobbled passes are to be expected. But if the Wolves continue to keep giving up the ball in the fourth quarter, there will be a price to pay; they’re going to lose win-able games.
Key #2: Take smart shots.
Disclaimer: As long as the ball goes in, Jamal Crawford can do whatever he wants.
With so much talent on the offensive end, there’s no reason to throw up low-percentage shots when we have a lead at the end of a game. Why not keep attacking the rim?
In their first few games, the Wolves have struggled to build or maintain momentum in the fourth quarter. When the opposing team starts connecting on late 3-pointers, it’s important to stay composed, run an offense, find a good shot, and stop the bleeding.
After Russell Westbrook tied Sunday’s game at 110 with 30 seconds to go, the Wolves did exactly that. Where we would have chucked up a contested 3-pointer a year ago, the Wolves’ Big Three moved the ball, remained patient, and waited for their shot to open up. Andrew Wiggins kicked the ball out to Jimmy Butler, who trusted Karl-Anthony Towns to make a play. Their patience was rewarded when KAT converted an 8-foot floater to take the lead.
We need to see more of that all quarter (and all game) long.
Key #1: Ride the hot hand.
Man, it’s been an up-and-down week.
With so much scoring power on the offensive end, different players are going to thrive down the stretch against different matchups. Close games come down to big plays, and it’s important to recognize who is stepping up on a given night.
Against the Utah Jazz on October 20th, Jamal Crawford had the hot hand, so his teammates got him the ball. In return, Crawford made a couple big plays down the stretch, sinking a pair of late 3-pointers to put the Wolves ahead.
When Russell Westbrook and Carmelo Anthony flexed their muscles in the final minutes of Sunday’s game, Andrew Wiggins stepped up in a big way. Wiggins scored 12 of his 27 points in the fourth quarter. If anyone was going to hit a game-winner on Sunday, it was going to be him.
Whether it’s one of the Big Three or not, the Wolves need to continue to get the ball to whoever has the hot hand in the fourth quarter.
Next: Ranking the Timberwolves roster
Let’s keep it going.
The Wolves still have a few things left to iron out in the fourth quarter, but we’ve seen them pull out two wins that last year’s team would have given away. I can’t wait to see what else they can do in the fourth quarter this year.