The Minnesota Timberwolves had an opportunity to put the NBA on notice to start the 2021-22 season.
With seven of their first eight games coming at home and many of those against below average and/or injured opponents, the Timberwolves could have given themselves a little cushion for the grueling mid-season schedule in the Western Conference. Instead, after Friday’s 104-84 loss to the Clippers, the Wolves are on a four-game losing streak and are staring down a four-game road trip.
Here are three takeaways from the second straight home loss to the Clippers.
Takeaway No. 1: Lid comes off the basket then goes right back on for the Timberwolves
The Timberwolves entered this game ranking No. 6 in the league in open shot frequency and ninth in wide-open shot frequency. Yet, they ranked in the bottom 10 in points per game and bottom five in both field goal percentage and 3-point field goal percentage.
Simply put, they got good looks but just weren’t hitting them. That was bound to even out at some point, and it did Friday… in the first quarter-and-a-half.
The Timberwolves led 49-29 at the 6:25 mark of the second quarter and had made 18 of their 32 shot attempts. Over the remaining 30 minutes, which were marked by a complete lack of movement and flow, Minnesota scored 35 points.
Minnesota shot 9-of-42 from the field and 5-of-24 from three in the second half. They turned the ball over 11 times. They scored 15 points in a mind-numbing third quarter and then somehow backtracked in a 12-point fourth quarter.
“Too much one-on-one, too much iso, terrible shot selection,” head coach Chris Finch said of the team’s second-half offense. “Guys are just trying to do everything by themselves. And when things get hard, we have no flow and we’re not getting out in transition and getting easy buckets.”
Perhaps the most frustrating part of it for the Wolves is that the Clippers didn’t play well offensively, shooting 41.4 percent from the field and 21.4 percent from three. Paul George exemplified his team’s edge over Minnesota: he shot 4-of-20, but made 13 of 14 free throws and added 11 rebounds.
The Timberwolves entered the game ranked No. 23 in offensive rating, and that’s only going to drop after this performance. This team that entered the season expecting to rely on an explosive offense has a lot to figure out in order to become even consistently average.