For most of the season until recently, the Minnesota Timberwolves had struggled to operate in the fourth quarter, particularly in close contests. Often, when they were getting in a dogfight and the score was within a few points down the stretch, the Wolves wilted and had a very hard time scoring in these types of pressure scenarios. Their clutch-time offense was one of the worst in the league for quite a while.
But incredibly, we have seen that trend begin to reverse itself. Chalk it up to a small sample size or simply a hot stretch, but Minnesota has been absolutely dominating the fourth quarters of their most recent games. In their last three contests against the Chicago Bulls, Houston Rockets and Portland Trail Blazers, the Timberwolves have been putting away their opponents with swiftness, and the numbers support the eye test.
Minnesota averaged an offensive rating of 147.2 (!!) over this three-game stretch in the fourth quarter, along with an average defensive rating of 68.6 (!!!).
Wolves have been putting the hammer down in the 4th Quarter the last 3 games. pic.twitter.com/A0CI8l3nhf
— Jim Petersen (@JimPeteHoops) February 9, 2025
Minnesota has been dominant on offense and defense in the 4Q lately
Unsurprisingly, the Wolves have also dominated the fourth quarter scoring margin in these three games. They won the fourth against Chicago 33-18, against Houston 35-16, and against Portland 38-14, scoring more and giving up less points in the final frame with each game.
There's no other way to put it. These are simply stunning numbers. And while the incredible offensive and defensive ratings Minnesota has put up are not reasonably sustainable for a longer stretch of the season, they are an indicator of what the Timberwolves are finding in their fourth quarter process on both sides of the ball.
Additionally, certain guys continue to step up in ways that have kept Minnesota aloft even while injured. With Julius Randle, Anthony Edwards and Mike Conley all out against Portland, Jaden McDaniels and Naz Reid stepped into primary scorer roles and excelled.
This points to the makings of a great team, which is different from simply a strong collection of individual talent. The Timberwolves' vision is slowly coming together, just as Chris Finch has talked about time after time.