The Minnesota Timberwolves committed an abhorrent 25 turnovers in their 125-113 Game 5 loss to the Denver Nuggets. Per Cleaning the Glass, Minnesota's 24.5 turnover percentage ranks in the 1st percentile; yikes. You are simply not going to win when you turn the ball over this much.
Credit to the Nuggets defense for playing the gaps better and loading up on the Wolves' ball handlers. Nevertheless, far too many of these turnovers were reckless, unforced, and flat-out mind-boggling.
The Wolves have struggled with turnovers in recent years. Notably, they ranked 19th in turnovers per game this year and 29th in clutch time turnovers during the regular season. Numerous times during the regular season, careless turnovers cost the Wolves wins.
Unsurprisingly, en route to taking a 3-1 lead over the Nuggets, the Wolves cut back on their turnovers, averaging 12 per game (good for fourth best in the playoffs). If the Wolves can close out the series against Denver, it will undoubtedly be paired with taking care of the ball.
The Timberwolves must take better care of the ball
It's fair to point to the absences of Anthony Edwards and Donte DiVincenzo as a driving factor in the Wolves' turnover woes. Of course, Edwards and DiVincenzo organized much of the Wolves' offense throughout the season. Still, the Wolves took care of the ball well in Game 4, and as noted, many of their turnovers were avoidable.
I'm not panicking too much after this game. Yes, 25 turnovers is an alarming number, but it's also a super fixable problem, and frankly, we might be talking about the Wolves getting ready for the second-round if they took care of the ball better tonight.
The Wolves' offense generally showed that they can stay afloat despite without Edwards and DiVincenzo. Julius Randle was fantastic, scoring 27 points and dishing out six assists. Ayo Dosunmu had another strong performance, notching 18 points. And overall, the Wolves shot an impressive 42.9 percent from 3-point range.
Furthermore, Minnesota has found success all series long attacking the rim and hunting mismatches. That's not going away, and Denver can't magically match the Wolves' athleticism.
While I'm not overly concerned, I must acknowledge that if the Wolves continue to be reckless with the ball, they will be doomed. On Thursday night, the Wolves will have to prove that Game 5 was a fluke.
If the Wolves can clean up the turnovers and repeat their blueprint that has worked all series, there's no reason why they can't close out the series on Thursday.
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