Player grades from Minnesota Timberwolves loss to Charlotte Hornets

The Minnesota Timberwolves had their five-game winning streak snapped by the Charlotte Hornets on Friday night in a 133-115 loss.

The Minnesota Timberwolves were blown out by the Charlotte Hornets

The Wolves came into Charlotte carrying a five-game winning streak. The Hornets, for their part, had won seven out of their last eight and were equally as hot.

The first quarter was all offense, with the Hornets getting a 3-pointer from Kelly Oubre, Jr. in the closing seconds to take the lead, 30-28.

The second quarter was all Charlotte, with Oubre leading the charge. The Hornets dropped 38 points in the frame and opened up a 10-point halftime lead. Minnesota simply could not string together stops, which was a theme that continued through the break and into the second half.

Karl-Anthony Towns came to life a bit in the third quarter, but the Wolves could not slow down Oubre and Miles Bridges. Oubre made four 3-pointers spread across six Hornets possessions, scoring 12 points in the quarter, while Bridges put up nine.

Charlotte came into the game with the No. 11 offensive rating in the league but a bottom-five defense. The Wolves had held seven of their last eight opponents under 100 points, but it was not to be this time around, with the Hornets reaching 99 points by the end of the third quarter.

The Hornets headed into the fourth quarter with a 16-point lead and quickly pushed it to 20. Head coach Chris Finch didn’t raise the white flag until right at the midway point in the quarter, but with a game just 24 hours later in Philadelphia, it wasn’t a surprising decision.

This was a combination of a Wolves defense that didn’t have their typical punch — let’s not ignore the absence of the injured Patrick Beverley — and the Hornets simply shooting lights out.

On to Philly.

Player grades from Minnesota Timberwolves loss to Charlotte Hornets

Let’s take a look at a few player grades from the Wolves’ loss.

Karl-Anthony Towns: A-

25 points (9-18 FG, 1-3 3P, 6-7 FT), 7 rebounds, 6 assists, one steal

Towns played as well as he has in a few games, attempting to lead his team back in the second half with a flurry of made buckets in the paint and impressive assists. He had a couple of nice dishes to Jarred Vanderbilt as the Wolves pulled to within single digits, but the Wolves were just never able to truly get within striking distance.

It was Towns’ second consecutive game with only one made 3-pointer, and the third such game over the last four.

D’Angelo Russell: A-

18 points (8-15 FG, 1-4 3P, 1-2 FT), 6 rebounds, 5 assists

Russell had a consistent game, helping to keep the Wolves close in the middle stages of the game. While the Wolves had a bevy of point-of-attack defenders helping to keep LaMelo Ball in check, Russell did do a solid job and contributed to the reigning Rookie of the Year putting up just 10 points and committing four turnovers.

Malik Beasley: B

18 points (6-14 FG, 5-11 3P, 1-1 FT), one assist

Beasley had a strong first half, raining down four 3-pointers before the break. But he was quiet after halftime and didn’t do enough to help the Wolves keep pace.

Additionally, Beasley’s zero rebounds and zero steals in 27 minutes off the bench are certainly not ideal for a team searching for help in both categories sans Beverley.

Anthony Edwards: C

11 points (4-9 FG, 1-4 3P, 2-3 FT), 5 rebounds, 2 assists, one steal

Edwards didn’t look like his typically energetic self in this one. How many times have we seen him shoot less than 10 times from the field in a game? (Answer: this is the first time this year and only the second time ever as a starter.)

He didn’t get into the paint, didn’t get to the line, and didn’t launch as many 3-pointers as we’re used to seeing. Just a dud of a game from Ant.

The Wolves turn around and take on the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday night for the back-half of their first road back-to-back set this season.