Player grades from Minnesota Timberwolves’ loss to Washington Wizards
By Ben Beecken
The Minnesota Timberwolves were blown out for the third consecutive game, falling at home to the Washington Wizards on Friday night.
Final. 130. 142. 109. 86
Only six days ago, the Minnesota Timberwolves held on to defeat the Utah Jazz on the road, with Karl-Anthony Towns and D’Angelo Russell making huge plays down the stretch.
To say that things have gone downhill since then would be a massive understatement.
The Wolves trailed by as many as 16 points in the first half but used a 27-14 run to get the halftime deficit to 60-57. Until that run, there was a lot about this game that resembled Tuesday’s debacle against the LA Clippers: poor rebounding, ragged shot selection, and missed shots at the rim.
But Jake Layman and Naz Reid keyed a big run for the Wolves, and Ed Davis brought some much-needed rebounding while Juancho Hernangomez showed life. Things appeared to be looking up.
As it turned out, however, the team that entered the game with an 0-5 record wanted it that much more, and whatever was said in their halftime locker room was far more effective than what Ryan Saunders said to his squad.
The Wizards outscored the Wolves by a 40-14 margin in the third quarter and used a 31-7 run that extended into the fourth quarter to put the game well out of reach.
This game was nearly a carbon-copy of the loss to the Clippers. Given the two practice days in between, it was disappointing, to say the least.
Minnesota Timberwolves Player Grades
D. D’Angelo Russell actually got to the rim in this one — he attempted five shots from within 10 feet of the basket! — but that was about the only bright spot. His defense was as bad as it’s been all season, and no matter how you slice it, five turnovers and three assists in 26 minutes is not what you’re looking for from your point guard. Russell also had 14 points on 6-of-16 shooting and four rebounds.. Guard. Minnesota Timberwolves. D'ANGELO RUSSELL
B. Malik Beasley started off hot and kept the Wolves in the game early when nothing else was working. He finished with 21 points (8-13 FG, 3-6 3P, 2-2 FT) and three rebounds but was quiet in the second half as the Wizards surged ahead in the third quarter. Despite the Wolves’ recent struggles, Beasley has been relatively consistent.. Wing. Minnesota Timberwolves. MALIK BEASLEY
After three strong games from Jarrett Culver to start the season and a weird, 0-for-10 shooting night with 10 rebounds against the Clippers on Tuesday, he had a solidly in-between game against Washington. Culver had only four points and two rebounds but played only 21 minutes due to foul trouble after being asked to try his hand at guarding Bradley Beal. Hard to get too upset with Culver after this one.. Guard. Minnesota Timberwolves. JARRETT CULVER. C
C+. Ricky Rubio started for the second consecutive game and finished with five points (1-4 FG, 1-2 3P), five assists, two steals, two rebounds, and three turnovers. Most of the Wizards’ 16-point first-half lead was built with him on the bench, but Rubio was out there for much of the second-half damage. The Wolves tried to leave him out there for Anthony Edwards minutes, but the game got out of hand so fast it’s tough to evaluate how that tweak to the rotation actually fared.. Guard. Minnesota Timberwolves. RICKY RUBIO
NAZ REID. A-. Naz Reid easily had his best game of the season, finishing with 17 points (7-10 FG, 1-3 3P, 2-3 FT), six rebounds, two blocks, an assist, and a steal in 24 minutes. He got into foul trouble in the third quarter and that’s about when things went downhill for the Wolves. He scored inside at will against the Wizards and actually played a bit of defense on the other end as well.. Center. Minnesota Timberwolves
B-. Anthony Edwards struggled in his first stint early in the game and was extremely quiet in the second and third quarters. With the game out of hand, he took over the Wolves offense and went to work. His final line of 17 points (7-16 FG, 2-8 3P, 1-4 FT), three rebounds, two assists, and a block is okay, albeit inefficient, but it’s important to note how much of that came in garbage time. To be fair to Edwards, the Wolves didn’t give him many opportunities to create within the offense earlier in the game. Especially with no Karl-Anthony Towns, Saunders needs to consider getting the ball in his hands more often.. Wing. Minnesota Timberwolves. ANTHONY EDWARDS
Other Minnesota Timberwolves Players
Jordan McLaughlin played well, seeing second-quarter minutes alongside Russell in the backcourt. He played well in the second half, too, finishing with 10 points and four rebounds, knocking down 2-of-3 long-range attempts.
Jake Layman had an outstanding second quarter after not checking in at all until less than nine minutes remained in the first half. He was the first player off the bench in the third after Culver picked up his fourth foul, but didn’t do anything in the second half of the game. Layman finished with 12 points (2-6 FG, 1-3 3P, 7-9 FT), three steals, a rebound, and an assist.
Juancho Hernangomez had another decent game, also coming alive in the second quarter. He had five points and three rebounds in 14 minutes.
Inexplicably, Jarred Vanderbilt didn’t see the floor until the start of the fourth quarter, with the Wolves already trailing by 29 points. He played well again, making all three of his field goal attempts and putting up six points, four rebounds, an assist, and a steal. He did turn the ball over three times and made a couple of poor decisions defensively, but the aggression and athleticism was refreshing to see.
Ed Davis went scoreless, missing four shots at the rim once again in 16 minutes. He pulled down 10 rebounds and dished out three assists.
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Up next for the Minnesota Timberwolves
The Wolves stay at home and play host to the struggling Denver Nuggets on Sunday. The Nuggets are just 1-3, but if the Wolves play anything like they have the last three times out … none of that matters.