When looking at the overall numbers, the Minnesota Timberwolves have been an above-average team this season when it comes to their 3-point accuracy. It can be argued that they need to attempt more. Through games played on November 24, they rank 10th in the NBA, making 37.4 percent of their attempts from beyond the arc.
What is a concern, though, particularly after Minnesota blew their last two games, is how that 3-point percentage drops as the game goes on, especially in the final 12 minutes. The Timberwolves have been one of the worst teams when it comes to their 3-point accuracy in the fourth quarter.
3-point accuracy drops precipitously in the fourth quarter
On Friday, the Timberwolves held an eight-point lead in the final minute before giving up the last 9 points to the Suns. On Monday, Minnesota led by 10 with less than 3 minutes left, but the Kings tied the game in regulation and were victorious in overtime. In the fourth quarters of those games, the Timberwolves combined to shoot just 4-17 on 3-point tries.
That continues a concerning trend that Minnesota has experienced this season. In the fourth quarter, they stop showing the ability to consistently hit threes. In the final stanza, they make just 29.6 percent of their attempts from 3-point range. That is the second-worst in the league, only ahead of the Pelicans. It’s even worse in their seven losses, as they are at 19.6 percent, which is dead last.
In the first quarter, they are connecting on 41.2 percent of their 3-point attempts, which is the seventh-best mark in the league. They are at 39.6 percent and 37.9 percent in the second and third quarters, respectively. So, their accuracy dips in each quarter (still solid though in the second and third quarters), but it falls off a cliff in the fourth.
This wasn't a problem last season
While it’s not a very large sample size of 17 games, there have been a few players who have really struggled from deep in the final quarter, which leads to their awful percentage. In that period, Julius Randle is 1-10 (10 percent), Naz Reid is 5-21 (23.8 percent), Bones Hyland is 1-11 (9.1 percent), and Rob Dillingham is 2-8 (25.0 percent).
This wasn’t a major problem for the Timberwolves last season. Minnesota shot 37.6 percent from long distance in 2024-25, which is almost exactly what they shot overall for the year (37.7 percent).
The Timberwolves' fourth quarter shooting from outside really needs to improve, or they could continue to struggle to put away opponents, as seen in the last two games.