Timberwolves Wrap: Wolves let one slip away in loss to Wizards

The Timberwolves’ sloppy play down the stretch cost them a win once again as their fourth quarter woes continued on Tuesday night.

The Timberwolves were seemingly playing not to lose rather than playing to win down the stretch on Tuesday night en route to their 92-89 loss to the Wizards. Once again, the team played without starting point guard Jeff Teague and stretch-four threat Nemanja Bjelica.

The Wolves played a solid first half as they built a 51-43 lead before halftime. However, throughout the first half they built several solid leads only to let the Wizards crawl back in. This ultimately came back to bite them in the end.

The Wolves were allowing too many uncontested shots throughout the night as they had a hard time fighting around screens. At one point in the second quarter, the Wizards went on a 16-2 run.

However, there were times where the Wolves looked as if they would run away with the game. They were moving the ball nicely while putting up points consistently and stringing together defensive stops. That was, until the inconsistency that has haunted the team all season came into play.

There was a point where the Wolves were up by as many as 13, yet they still collapsed in the fourth quarter, getting outscored 24-18 in the frame and 49-38 in the second half in all. Additionally, the Wizards bench outscored the Wolves 49-11.

The Wolves closed out the game shooting 4-of-18 from the field which certainly won’t put teams away. They played under the impression that they were aiming not to lose rather than playing to win. Too many ill-advised shots were made down the stretch instead of working the ball around and looking to create, such as they had done well for the first 40 minutes or so.

A loss like this is disappointing. The Wizards were down John Wall (although the Wolves were down Teague and Bjelica) and had a chance to squeak by. However, their fourth quarter woes continued and ultimately led to their defeat.

Tweets of the Night

Key Takeaways

• The Wolves were essentially forced to play seven guys tonight which left the team gassed. The starters played anywhere from 37-41 minutes including the vast majority of the fourth for all of them. The bench was flat, scoring just 11 points (10 from Crawford and one from Dieng).
• Tyus Jones put together a nice game in his second career start. He racked up 12 points while dishing out seven assists while grabbing four rebounds.

• Karl-Anthony Towns was seen complaining to officials numerous of times after plays in which he believed fouls should have been called. This led to him getting back slow on defense as well as frustration forming out of teammates.

• The Wolves let up too many open shots on the night, including the go-ahead shot by Otto Porter Jr., with under a minute left in the game.
• Minnesota did a good job tonight sharing the basketball. Better passes led to better shots even though they did not always fall. Even so this is a sign of unselfish play which the Wolves have demonstrated all season.

Player of the Game

Karl-Anthony Towns: 20 points (9-19 FG, 2-5 3P, 0-0 FT), 17 rebounds, four turnovers, one steal

Towns may have taken some ill-advised shots down the stretch, however, his presence was much-needed tonight.

The big man led the team in points and rebounds as he helped keep them in the game all night. Other guys such as Butler, Gibson and Jones put up good games in their own rights. However, Towns seemed to be the spark on offense as well as always the first guy going up to get a board.

Notable Box Score Lines

• Taj Gibson: 16 points (8-13 FG, 0-0 3P, 0-2 FT) 11 rebounds, one assist, one turnover
• Jimmy Butler: 17 points (5-17 FG, 3-9 3P, 4-4 FT) 10 assists, seven rebounds, one steal, one turnover
• Tyus Jones: 12 points (4-9 FG, 2-6 3P, 2-3 FT) seven assists, four rebounds, one steal, zero turnovers
• Andrew Wiggins: 13 points (5-15 FG, 1-5 3P, 2-3 FT) four assists, two rebounds, one block, one turnover

It was an off night for Andrew Wiggins and it surely showed. The Wolves lacked the offensive spark that he usually provides as they only scored 89 points as a team.

Jimmy Butler showed he is the true leader of this team, both offensively and defensively. He hit a couple of threes in big situations that either extended the Wolves lead or put an end the Wizards run. He was also vocal and quick on the defensive end with a few excellent close outs that resulted in missed shots.

As mentioned, Jones played well in his second career start. The third-year player out of Duke showed he is deserving of a consistent role even when Teague returns.

Gibson battled hard down low and had a handful of put backs. He did well on the boards as he grabbed 11 in all on the night.

Next: The case for Tyus Jones to be a starter

Whats Next?

The 12-9 Wolves head to the Big Easy on Wednesday night to take on the 11-9 Pelicans at 7 p.m. CT. This is the first contest in a two-game road trip for the Wolves before they return home on December 3rd.