Player grades from Minnesota Timberwolves’ loss at Portland Trail Blazers
By Ben Beecken
The Minnesota Timberwolves dropped their sixth consecutive game, this time falling to the Portland Trail Blazers on the road.
135. 34. Final. 117. 86
Once again, the Minnesota Timberwolves were run out of the gym without Karl-Anthony Towns.
This time, Damian Lillard and the Portland Trail Blazers put the game away before halftime as the Wolves predictably could not slow down the Blazers’ dynamic, pick-and-roll-centric attack.
Both teams struggled offensively at the start of the first quarter. The Wolves actually ran their offense fairly well but missed a number of open shots. The Blazers did the same, allowing Minnesota to hang around, even leading by a 29-28 score after the opening frame.
But the second quarter got away from the Wolves in short order, as shoddy transition defense and poor communication reared their ugly head once again. Minnesota shot a horrendous 5-of-14 at the rim in the second quarter, and the Blazers turned plenty of those missed bunnies into fastbreak points on the other end.
It was a 19-point halftime deficit for the Wolves, and the third quarter got even worse. Garbage time began midway through the frame.
The biggest issue continued to be transition defense, but there simply wasn’t much positive about this game from about midway through the second quarter through the third quarter. Total, the Wolves gave up a whopping 83 points between the two periods.
The Wolves bench at least played hard in the fourth quarter, even getting Minnesota with 16 points about halfway through the frame. Anthony Edwards and Naz Reid led the way with Jaylen Nowell seeing his first minutes of the regular season.
After seemingly making some progress against Denver over the last two games, the Wolves slid all the way back into the major issues they were having during their three consecutive blowout losses last week.
Minnesota Timberwolves Player Grades
B. D’Angelo Russell was a flamethrower early in the game, shooting 7-of-9 in the first half and putting up 19 points by the break. The third quarter wasn’t nearly as kind, as Russell went into true gunner mode as the team fell further behind. Predictably, DLo struggled to defend the Blazers’ dynamic backcourt, but he was hardly the only one to blame for the issues. Russell finished with 26 points on 9-of-16 shooting with three assists and three rebounds.. Guard. Minnesota Timberwolves. D'ANGELO RUSSELL
D. Malik Beasley had his worst game of the season, shooting a terrible 3-of-13 from the field. All three of his makes were from 3-point range, meaning he shot 0-of-7 from inside the arc. Beasley missed a couple of layups at the rim and clanked several mid-range jumpers. He wasn’t nearly as active defensively, either, and struggled mightily as the Blazers took firm control of the game in the third quarter.. Wing. Minnesota Timberwolves. MALIK BEASLEY
B+. Jarrett Culver had a quiet game, scoring just seven points in 20 minutes. He had five rebounds and did a good job early defensively, but didn’t get as much run in the second half as he Wolves fell behind.. Guard. Minnesota Timberwolves. JARRETT CULVER
B-. Anthony Edwards scored a career-high 26 points, but it wasn’t all roses. The rookie had a horrible first half, spending most of the second quarter dribbling into the teeth of the Portland Trail Blazers defense and turning the ball over or missing difficult shots. But he was fantastic in garbage time and finished shooting 9-for-21 from the field and 3-for-10 from 3-point range. He had four rebounds, two steals, and four turnovers — and one highlight-reel dunk.. Wing. Minnesota Timberwolves. ANTHONY EDWARDS
B. Ricky Rubio had an up-and-down game, which was certainly an improvement over his last performance. He had only two points and didn’t make any field goals, but had 10 assists, five steals, and five rebounds. Rubio clearly enjoyed orchestrating garbage time with the likes of Edwards, Reid, Jaylen Nowell, and Jaden McDaniels.. Guard. Minnesota Timberwolves. RICKY RUBIO
B. Jarred Vanderbilt received non-garbage-time minutes for the second straight game. He struggled defensively in the second quarter, giving up a series of baskets to Jusuf Nurkic and often putting himself out of position with overzealous energy on both ends of the floor and in transition. Overall Vanderbilt put up 10 points on 4-of-7 shooting and grabbed 10 rebounds and two steals. There’s a lot to be said about his energy and athleticism, but he definitely needs to refine his defensive approach against bigger, more experienced players. The issues in the pick-and-roll game weren’t entirely his fault, but there were some problems there, too.. Big. Minnesota Timberwolves. JARRED VANDERBILT
Other Minnesota Timberwolves Players
Ed Davis started and played 14 minutes but was scoreless and somehow only grabbed one rebound. He continues to provide some defensive value, but if he isn’t rebounding, it’s tough to justify playing him for any more than spot duty.
Juancho Hernangomez started again and played 22 minutes, following up his breakout performance in Denver with 12 points, six rebounds, and a steal. He was solid early but it was generally a quiet night.
Jake Layman only played 13 minutes and had four points and a block but didn’t pull down any rebounds. Nowell shot 1-for-3 and had a rebound and assist in his eight-minute return to action. He was solid defensively and continues to show promise as a two-way wing.
McDaniels hit a 3-pointer and chipped in four rebounds and three assists, showing the ability to create a bit and be active on both ends of the floor.
dark. Next. Russell, Rubio, and the Wolves' offensive conundrum
Up next for the Minnesota Timberwolves
The Wolves head back home for a four-game homestand, including a back-to-back set against the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday and Sunday.