Minnesota Timberwolves: Player grades from loss to Utah Jazz

It’s time for the Minnesota Timberwolves to reckon with their defensive lapses.

That side of the floor surprisingly carried the Wolves through the first quarter of the season, but the cracks are starting to show and were accentuated in Minnesota’s 136-104 loss to the Utah Jazz at the Target Center Wednesday night.

The Jazz entered the game first in offensive rating and effective field goal percentage, so it wasn’t a surprise they gave the Wolves fits in a multitude of ways. Utah scored 48 points in the paint and made 25 of its 54 3-point attempts, living in the most efficient scoring spots on the court. Utah won the second half 76-45 behind a staggering offensive showcase.

Minnesota had no chance of containing Donovan Mitchell’s electric off-the-dribble game, and Utah’s star took advantage with 36 points on 14-of-23 shooting. Mitchell entered the game having scored at least 30 points on over 50 percent shooting in each of Utah’s previous three games, and it has never looked so easy for him to break down his defender.

The Wolves have now allowed an average of 120.5 points over their four-game losing streak. Granted, the last two have come against the top two teams in offensive rating and another came against Kevin Durant and James Harden, but this is a far cry from the team that held five straight opponents below 100 points at one point in November.

“Our ability to get into the ball, direct the ball, that was one thing we were doing well for the bulk of this season,” head coach Chris Finch said on Wolves Live Postgame. “[Tonight] we died on screens, we let guys shoot the ball in our face, so we didn’t compete on the ball.”

Minnesota won’t completely uproot its defensive scheme, nor should it; Utah made some tough shots, and you don’t change everything because a couple great offensive teams caught fire.

But this is a sign that some tweaks are needed, particularly when it comes to 3-point defense. Allowing 50 threes over two games is not a fluke, and Minnesota’s schedule doesn’t let up from here.

Let’s take a look at some individual performances from the Timberwolves’ loss.