Player grades from Minnesota Timberwolves’ loss to the Indiana Pacers
By Ben Beecken
The Minnesota Timberwolves held a late lead but ended up with an overtime loss to the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday night at Target Center.
Final/OT. 134. 100. 128. 86
The Minnesota Timberwolves were not a good team without Karl-Anthony Towns. As it turns out, adding a top-20 player back into the rotation takes a team from bad to, well, pretty good. Not to mention fun to watch.
The Wolves rode a 40-point second quarter to a four-point halftime lead and carried a six-point advantage into the fourth quarter.
The home team maintained the lead and pushed back with Indiana tied it. The Wolves went back up by five on a Towns dunk with under a minute remaining. But an open 3-pointer from Jeremy Lamb, a rushed miss from Ricky Rubio in the paint, and a pair of free throws from Domantas Sabonis on the other end made it a tied affair with 11.1 left.
After a timeout, the Wolves called a high screen-and-roll with Anthony Edwards and Towns. After a re-screen, Myles Turner switched onto Edwards with roughly six seconds to play. Towns didn’t roll and stayed on the perimeter, and Edwards went into isolation mode against the Pacers’ center.
Edwards rose and fired a deep 3-point attempt that went at least halfway down before rattling out, and the game went to overtime.
The Wolves struggled to score in overtime but still managed to be within three points with 1:05 to play. Beasley had the ball stolen from him by Sabonis, however, and then the Wolves guard went under a Sabonis screen on the other end as Malcolm Brogdon drained a dagger 3-pointer to put the Pacers up six with nine seconds to play.
This was an entertaining, competitive game and the Wolves should have come away with the win. But while there were absolutely some mistakes in execution down the stretch, there weren’t nearly as many egregious coaching errors or completely bone-headed plays that Wolves fans have come accustomed to seeing.
Both Towns and Edwards missed easy shots at the rim down the stretch and in overtime, Rubio missed the potential game-sealer in the final minute of regulation, and Beasley had a terrible turnover and defensive mistake that sealed the game for the Pacers.
In other words, it was an amalgamation of errors that could befall any team, and it was simply too bad that it happened at the end of such a fun game.
The Wolves have made close, late losses something of a habit, yet they are still a few pegs above losing by 30-plus points for the majority of a game, no?
Minnesota Timberwolves Player Grades vs. Indiana Pacers
Karl-Anthony Towns turned in a weird performance. His line is solid: 30 points, 10 rebounds, two steals, two blocks, and an assist. He also went 12-for-12 at the free throw line and shot 8-of-19 from the floor. But he was only 2-of-7 on 3-point attempts and struggled mightily to defend Sabonis in the post. Towns also had some of his most disappointing misses down the stretch, including failing to score over Brogdon on a switch in the post in overtime. Still, Towns was solid all things considered and deserves to have his number called the next time the Wolves are in a close-and-late game situation.. Center. Minnesota Timberwolves. KARL-ANTHONY TOWNS. B+
B. Another weird individual performance. Beasley dropped 31 points (13-25 FG, 5-13 3P, 0-1 FT) and chipped in three assists, three steals, and three turnovers, and a +5 plus-minus in 41 minutes. He started the game on the bench after reportedly showing up late to a walk-through on Wednesday but led the team in minutes. Until overtime, it would have been easy to suggest that he was the Wolves’ most impactful offensive player, but then he missed a series of shots, committed the vital turnover, and was beat defensively on the game-clinching play. Beasley also struggled on defense throughout the game, getting beat off the dribble consistently. This was a mixed bag for Beasley, to say the least.. Wing. Minnesota Timberwolves. MALIK BEASLEY
C. The last 24-plus hours have been the definition of “two steps forward, one step back.” After a strong performance and a career-high 28 points in the loss to the Lakers on Tuesday, Edwards shot just 3-of-15 en route to eight points on Wednesday. He did have five rebounds and four assists, but his offense was simply off in this game. Edwards also didn’t exactly execute the final play of regulation as it had been designed, but still nearly sunk the game-winner.. Wing. Minnesota Timberwolves. ANTHONY EDWARDS
A. Ricky Rubio was great once again, putting up a season-high 20 points on 6-of-13 shooting and 3-of-6 outside the arc. He also made all five of his free throw attempts and had 13 assists, three rebounds, and only one turnover. Rubio was also key defensively, scrambling and helping teammates with the challenge that a Brogdon-Holiday-Holiday-Lamb backcourt provides.. Point Guard. Minnesota Timberwolves. RICKY RUBIO
Big. Minnesota Timberwolves. JARRED VANDERBILT. B. After a 13-rebound performance against the Lakers on Tuesday, Jarred Vanderbilt had a quiet night against the Pacers. He started but played only 18 minutes, adding just two points and four rebounds to the cause. Vanderbilt was solid early in the fourth quarter but was replaced by Jaden McDaniels down the stretch with the offense sputtering. He continues to be an intriguing fit with Rubio and Towns, but can be a spacing liability late in games when on the floor with Rubio.
B+. Jaden McDaniels received his first career start in this game and played a whopping 37 minutes. He was the 4 down the stretch and on the floor throughout crunch time. The rookie only scored 11 points but shot 4-of-10 and 3-of-6 from beyond the arc, including a huge 3-pointer late in the fourth quarter. McDaniels also had some strong defensive moments, including helping to lock down both Brogdon and Sabonis on the same Pacers possession late in regulation.. Forward. Minnesota Timberwolves. JADEN MCDANIELS
A. Naz Reid continues to show that he has the ability to be one of the better backup centers in the league, dropping 18 points, nine rebounds, three assists and a steal in just 18 minutes off the bench. He was nimble around the rim and dynamic in the pick-and-roll game with Jordan McLaughlin. Reid even earned a few minutes alongside Towns, which were mostly encouraging. If Naz keeps playing like this, he’ll force his way onto the court at the 4 more often.. Center. Minnesota Timberwolves. NAZ REID
Other Minnesota Timberwolves Players
Jordan McLaughlin was scoreless, missing all five shot attempts from the field. But he did have seven assists to zero turnovers, four rebounds, and two steals. The chemistry with Reid was fun to watch and extremely effective.
Josh Okogie had a quietly effective 15 minutes off the bench. He had just two points but also pitched in three rebounds, two assists, and a steal and was a team-best +9 in the plus-minus column.
Jaylen Nowell scored six points in six minutes with two assists, all in the first half. He also committed three quick personal fouls and did not see the floor in the second half.
Next. Exploring the Wolves' starting lineup of the future. dark
Up next for the Minnesota Timberwolves
The Wolves’ three-game homestand continues with a home date against Toronto on Friday night. Minnesota beat the Raptors on the road on Sunday and will look to sweep the season series.