Sometimes an NBA head coach will pull out new things that he hasn’t attempted for the majority of the season when his team is going through a rough stretch. That could describe the Minnesota Timberwolves, who entered Friday night’s game against the Golden State Warriors on a three-game losing streak.
That streak is now over after Minnesota’s victory over the Warriors. Still, with the game not out of reach in the fourth quarter, Chris Finch went with a lineup at the end that has rarely been seen. He played Rudy Gobert without either Julius Randle or Naz Reid.
Gobert plays without his main frontcourt mates
With 9:34 remaining in the fourth quarter, Finch took out the struggling Randle, and he wasn’t reinserted. Reid was taken out with 5:16 left for the last time.
So, for nearly half of the last stanza, Gobert was on the floor without either of their other two key frontcourt players. If you’re a Wolves fan, and you were thinking on Friday that’s something you don’t see very often, you would be correct.
According to Timberwolves’ beat reporter Dane Moore, Gobert has now played 4,137 possessions this season. Just 68 of those have come without Randle or Reid being alongside him. Do the math, and that’s around just 1.64% of Rudy’s total possessions.
Now, Golden State outscored the Timberwolves 9-7 over that final 5:16, and Minnesota made only one field goal in that time. They also forced GS into missing their first five field goal attempts while also drawing an offensive foul. That essentially snuffed out any chance at a comeback for the Warriors.
For most of the latter portion of the fourth quarter, Finch turned to a lineup of Gobert, Donte DiVincenzo, Anthony Edwards, Jaden McDaniels, and Ayo Dosunmu. That’s four starters and Dosunmu, who was coming off an excellent third quarter. Finch did make one substitution with 48 seconds left, taking out Gobert for Kyle Anderson after Minnesota had the game in the bag.
Poor play from Randle and Reid sparked this change
Randle has had a tough go since the All-Star break. On Friday, he didn’t score a point, grab a rebound, or dish out an assist in 10 second-half minutes. Randle did commit three turnovers, though.
Reid hasn’t been slumping as badly as Randle, but his production has also dipped since the beginning of February. Friday’s contest saw him score just two points on 1-for-4 shooting in 12-plus minutes of action in the second half.
After three consecutive non-competitive losses, Finch went outside his comfort zone in hopes of ending the losing streak. Edwards was the star of the game, but Gobert’s 18 points are tied for his fifth-most in a game this season.
The Warriors were undermanned, so let’s see if Finch gives more time with The Stifle Tower without Reid or Randle against improved competition.