Player grades from Timberwolves’ road loss to Washington Wizards

The Minnesota Timberwolves struggled defensively and shot poorly from beyond the arc in a disappointing road loss to the Washington Wizards.

Defense struggles as the Timberwolves lose to the Washington Wizards

The Minnesota Timberwolves began their road trip as winners of seven of their past eight games.

Unfortunately, they also began the road trip with some sort of illness going around the team; both Jarred Vanderbilt and Jaden McDaniels missed Monday’s home win over the Indiana Pacers due to flu-like symptoms. They were also each listed as questionable on Wednesday’s injury report along with Anthony Edwards.

McDaniels was the only one who missed Wednesday’s game, but the Wolves as a whole played as though they were collectively a bit under the weather.

The Wolves were a half-step behind all game long defensively. They were late on their rotations and simply could not protect the rim. Wizards big men Daniel Gafford and Montrezl Harrell combined to shoot 18-of-22 for 45 points, much of which came on dunks. Washington also won the rebounding battle by 15 boards.

While Karl-Anthony Towns and Naz Reid both had strong offensive games, the rest of the team struggled to score efficiently and the entire defensive unit was lost all night long.

Player grades from Timberwolves’ road loss to Washington Wizards

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

Karl-Anthony Towns: A-

34 points (11-25 FG, 2-4 3P, 10-11 3P), 10 rebounds, one assist, one steal, one block

Towns had a rough start, making only four of his first 10 shot attempts in the paint. But he had strong second and third quarters as the Wizards essentially dared the Wolves to keep throwing the ball into the post. Unfortunately, the Wolves couldn’t get anything else going, as they shot just 29.7 percent from beyond the arc as a team.

Towns fell hard on his tailbone after his hand slipped off the rim after a dunk with a few minutes left to play. X-rays taken postgame were negative, thankfully, but it remains to be seen what his status will be on Friday night in Brooklyn.

Anthony Edwards: B

25 points (7-17 FG, 4-9 3P, 7-8 FT), 3 rebounds, 3 assists, one steal, one block

Edwards had a strangely quiet 25 points. While he was efficient from beyond the arc, it never felt like he discovered his rhythm and was part of an occasionally disjointed Wolves offense.

He was also part of the problem defensively, as the Wolves simply didn’t do a great job at the point of attack or protecting the paint.

D’Angelo Russell: C

10 points (3-18 FG, 1-12 3P, 3-4 FT), 9 assists, 5 rebounds, 2 blocks

D’Angelo Russell had been fantastic on both ends of the floor over the last few games. Unfortunately, that didn’t continue against the Wizards.

Russell’s shooting night was awful, but he was actually decent defensively and mostly made solid decisions on offense.

Naz Reid: B+

13 points (6-10 FG, 1-3 3P), 3 rebounds

Reid was great when on the floor as the 5, and he played well in limited minutes at the 4 alongside Towns. In a game when the rest of the Wolves struggled offensively, it was Towns and Reid that were able to do damage rolling to the rim and from outside the arc.

The Wolves head north to New York to take on the Brooklyn Nets on Friday night. Here’s hoping for a healthy Towns and a healthy McDaniels…