The Minnesota Timberwolves inconsistent play continues

The Minnesota Timberwolves are currently sitting in fourth place in the Western Conference with a 15-11 record. However, their inconsistent play has continued and cost them a few winnable games.

The Minnesota Timberwolves have done just enough through 26 games to stick around the top of the Western Conference standings. However, their inconsistent play has cost them a few wins against teams they should be beating over their past 11 games.

After playing three impressive games, all of which resulting in wins, against the Utah Jazz, San Antonio Spurs and Dallas Mavericks in the middle November, the Wolves hit a bump in the road. They suffered a three point home loss to the Pistons followed by a 14 point loss to the Hornets the next day.

Other close losses to the Miami Heat, Washington Wizards, Oklahoma City Thunder and the Memphis Grizzlies have left the Wolves just four games over .500. It is fair to say the inconsistent play and unimproved defense have left the Wolves failing to contend with the top three teams in the west so far.

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The Wolves have done a nice job so far forcing steals as they rank sixth in the league averaging almost nine per game. However, they still rank in the bottom half of the league in defensive rating at 26th. They have been noticeably slow at times on close-outs as well as to get back in transition defense.

The Wolves are 28th in the league allowing nearly 14 transition points per game. This is an issue the Wolves need to address and fix ASAP.

Allowing points in the paint has been an issue for the Wolves as well. Just as good as they are scoring in the paint, sixth in the league with 47 points per game, they are 24th in the league allowing 46 points per game.

The same goes for fastbreak points. The Wolves allow almost the most in the league per game with 13.8. Honing in on these areas alone will surely improve the Wolves defense one way or another.

What the Wolves have been doing well is executing on their second-chance point opportunities. They rank fourth in the league as they score 14.5 second-chance points per game. It is even more important to execute on second-chance points with the defense still not all the way there yet.

There is one important are the Wolves have improved on this year that has helped keep them over .500.

This shows the teams growth in late game situations. However, those are still two losses too many when it comes time to talk about the Western Conference standings.

The Wolves have also been playing with virtually eight to nine players over the past few weeks. It has been more so nine with the return of Jeff Teague. However, Nemanja Bjelica still remains out with an injury and the Wolves have been playing four guys off the bench for the most part.

As result, the Wolves bench ranks last in the league in minutes per game averaging 13. However, they are still 12th in field goal percentage and eighth in three-point percentage amongst other benches. On the flip side, they have a -2.4 plus/minus.

Jamal Crawford has provided instant scoring off the bench and Tyus Jones has played well in his increased role this season. Gorgui Dieng has been seeing more minutes and playing well with the absence of Bjelica. Besides those few player, none of the rest have done much.

Shabazz Muhammad has seen his role shrink game by game.

What helps is the return of Justin Patton as he played with the Iowa Wolves last night in his first game since offseason foot surgery

He’ll provide much-needed interior depth when he returns, whenever that may be.

Looking ahead, the Wolves are entering a favorable part of their schedule from Sunday until the end of the month. They have the Mavericks, Philadelphia 76ers, Sacramento Kings and Phoenix Suns over their next four games. There’s no reason the Wolves shouldn’t win three, if not all four.

Back-to-back division games against the Portland Trail Blazers and Denver Nuggets will be challenging. Defense will need to show up for sure as it will be gut-check time.

Then the square up with the Suns once again, followed by a Christmas Day matchup with the Los Angeles Lakers, both should be wins.

Their last three games of the month against the Nuggets, Milwaukee Bucks and Indiana Pacers will also be tough, however, it is another chance for the Wolves to prove themselves as a top team in the west.

It’s a broken record at this point but the Wolves status as a top team will rely on their ability to improve on defense before the midway point. Although they are sitting fourth in the west right now the team and fans can’t be satisfied.

They need to stop letting games slip away and continue to beat the teams they should be beating. The issue is letting teams stick around. A perfect example is when the Wolves lost to the Wizards without John Wall. They were in control most of the game until they scored just 18 points in the fourth and allowed 24. Letting teams stick around will give them confidence and a sense they can win the game.

Next: Three lineups the Timberwolves should use more often

The motto should be peddle to the metal. Once they have a lead their focus should be extending it and burying the opponent before they have a chance to crawl back in. Limiting big shots and executing more efficiently on offense are crucial to doing this. In other words, focus on playing to win rather than playing not to lose.