The Minnesota Timberwolves have not had much opportunity to practice with both power forward Karl-Anthony Towns and center Rudy Gobert, and that fact is on full display for everyone at Target Center. The Timberwolves not only seemed to be quite rusty at scoring, but the team’s sluggishness even prompted comments about their willingness to stand around and look for someone to score.
But by the time the Timberwolves did finally score, they had already spotted the visiting Brooklyn Nets to score the first nine points in the game.
As the teams began their rotations, the Timberwolves’ bench opened by bringing in Kyle Anderson and Jaylen Nowell off the bench.
The first quarter was dominated by the Brooklyn Nets, and Kevin Durant was their leading scorer. For the Timberwolves, Karl-Anthony Towns led the team in scoring by putting up nine points. D’Angelo Russell was in the runner-up spot, as he scored six points on three of six shooting from the floor.
Extending his scoring woes, Timberwolves shooting guard Anthony Edwards was held scoreless on 0-2 shooting. The Minnesota Timberwolves will need Edwards to figure it out pretty quickly, as he was one of the team’s most proficient scorers last season. Even Rudy Gobert put three points on the scoreboard.
The Timberwolves are lethargic in the opening quarter
The Nets were clearly the more fluid and energetic team, and their defense was swarming and aggressive. The Timberwolves could not match their energy or their spacing. Even the Timberwolves’ perimeter shooting opened the game cold, as the Timberwolves shot just one of seven from beyond the arc.
It was not all ugly for the Timberwolves, as Rudy Gobert faced a double-team in the paint, but was able to pass out to Karl-Anthony Towns who scored an easy three. On another occasion, D’Angelo Russell fired a baseline pass to center Rudy Gobert, who promptly jammed the basketball through the hoop for two points.
The Timberwolves opened ugly in this one, but that is what this game was all about. The game continues to the half.