The Minnesota Timberwolves have had no shortage of head-scratching moments this season. After an offseason that rocked their world, the Wolves have had a whirlwind of a time trying to put together the pieces of their puzzle correctly.
They have certainly had their ups and downs from the very start of the season in October. Huge wins followed by confusing losses has been the norm for Minnesota this season.
However, things took a major turn for the worse to end the month of December. Losses and injuries began to rack up. And with the Timberwolves hosting the Detroit Pistons on New Years’ Eve, it was the team from Motor City busting out the champagne to bring in 2023.
The Minnesota Timberwolves suffered their worst loss of the season to Detroit
After suffering five straight losses leading up the end of December, the Timberwolves were set to end the 2022 calendar year by returning home to the friendly confines of the Target Center to face the Pistons, who hold the worst win-loss record in the entire NBA. It seemed like a chip shot of a game that would allow the Wolves a chance to get back into some sort of rhythm as a team.
But just as it seemed Minnesota had an easy win on their schedule, things went sideways quickly. At the end of the first half of play, Kyle Anderson hit a long three-pointer that extended the Wolves’ lead to 14 heading to the locker room. Things were going according to plan.
Then the third-quarter Timberwolves reared their ugly heads once again. For the season, Minnesota holds the second-worst point differential in the third quarter, ahead of only the Lakers. In just one quarter after halftime, the Wolves saw their 14-point lead trimmed all the way down to zero.
This loss will be a defining moment in the Minnesota Timberwolves’ season
After that, the Pistons outscored Minnesota by a dozen in the final frame, completely outclassing the more talented team. The Timberwolves surrendered 12 fourth-quarter points to Hamidou Diallo alone.
When the final buzzer sounded, Minnesota had closed the book on 2022 in the most ugly way possible. Squandering yet another opportunity, they enter the New Year and the month of January riding a six-game losing streak and sitting in the bottom five teams in the Western Conference.
This loss to the Pistons officially signaled the Timberwolves hitting rock bottom. All their struggles and inconsistencies culminated in their epic second-half collapse against Detroit. There is no doubt this will be a defining moment in Minnesota’s season. It will either be the loss that buried them for good, or the wake-up call that helped them finally begin to turn things around.