The Minnesota Timberwolves lost to the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday afternoon. In a game that was postponed from last night, the Timberwolves were unable to capitalize on a Nets team that was missing two of its three superstar-caliber players.
The Timberwolves, without Karl-Anthony Towns, and with D’Angelo Russell on a minutes restriction, got absolutely run by a shorthanded Nets team.
Currently the title favorites, the Brooklyn Nets had strong performances from Kevin Durant and Joe Harris power the team to victory.
Takeaway #1 – Chris Finch needs a solution offensively without Karl-Anthony Towns.
Tonight was one of the few games that Chris Finch has had to coach the Timberwolves without the best player on the roster – Karl-Anthony Towns. And while, things didn’t go well in general, the offense was arguably the most disappointing part of that.
The Timberwolves were less than efficient for the majority of the game on Tuesday afternoon, with less than 15 assists entering the fourth quarter. The Ball was sticky, and in a game which the bench was emptied early on, nobody really stepped up in a major fashion.
Takeaway #2 – Josh Okogie can be one of the best perimeter defenders in the league at some points.
Late in the second quarter, on two consecutive series, Josh Okogie was able to get a block on Kevin Durant and force a turnover that resulted in an easy Anthony Edwards score. That short display just goes to show the potential that Okogie can have at certain points.
In Okogie’s last game, he hit 2-4 3-pointers, and he hit one today. If he can continue his consistency scoring (as we have always said is his swing skill), he could provide much, much more value than he has the majority this season.
Takeaway #3 – Today’s game is a wash.
The Timberwolves-Nets game was postponed to this afternoon due to the events currently happening in Minneapolis.
With that said, changing the schedule of gamedays can greatly influence the overall outcome of a game. Minnesota didn’t have their best player, and their star guard had a minutes restriction. Only one Wolves player tallied over 30 minutes – and that guy is a rookie wing.
There was not much going in the Timberwolves favor today, even before the game. They will look to bounce back tomorrow night against Milwaukee.