The Minnesota Timberwolves weren’t going to go 82-0. Let’s get that out of the way. It shouldn’t be all doom and gloom just because they fell by two points in overtime to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday.
Minnesota still has a 3-1 record, with three 20+ point wins. Their new-look lineup gelled faster than anyone expected.
Even in those three wins, though, the Timberwolves struggled with shots from 15 feet out. The free-throw shooting has been abysmal, and it went somewhat under the radar because of the three blowout victories. Sadly, these struggles continued on Monday, and it cost them a game. Minnesota must fix these problems or the losses will start to add up.
Late free-throw misses proved costly against Cleveland
In a close game, free throws often decide the winner. That was the case for the Wolves against the Cavaliers. The Timberwolves finished the game 14-for-23 (60.9 percent) from the charity stripe.
Minnesota shot only two free throws in the fourth quarter Monday, but the 1-for-2 trip proved costly. Jonathan Kuminga missed the second with 26 seconds left in regulation, keeping the Wolves' lead at two. James Harden made an easy floater after Donovan Mitchell missed a 3-pointer, forcing overtime.
Kuminga again missed the second of two free throws with 34 seconds left in overtime, with Minnesota down by one. LaMelo Ball then missed the first of two down three with 9.2 seconds left, then intentionally missed the second.
The Cavs weren’t great from the line for either team (17-for-23, 73.9 percent), but that’s still three more makes on the same number of attempts as the Timberwolves. Cleveland also went 5-for-5 in the extra frame, including four clutch makes over the final 13 seconds.
In a two-point game, it's clear that the Wolves would've won if they knocked down their free throws, and they can't afford for this problem to persist.
Brutal foul shooting to begin season
Through four games, the Timberwolves are dead last in free-throw accuracy. It’s by a pretty wide margin as well.
Minnesota has made only 60.7 percent of its foul shots through four games. The second-worst team in the league—the Indiana Pacers—are at 70.1 percent. The Wolves haven't shot better than 64 percent in any of their four outings.
Unsurprisingly, Rudy Gobert has struggled, making exactly half of his 24 attempts. More surprising are Kuminga (7-for-14), Ball (5-for-9), and Trey Lyles (2-for-5). Even Anthony Edwards has missed five of his 20 free-throw attempts.
Free-throw shooting was also a weakness for the Timberwolves last season. Their 75.2 percent accuracy only beat the Milwaukee Bucks. That percentage is still far better than their first four games this season.
Free-throw shooting was a major reason that the Timberwolves lost their first game of the season. They don’t need them to cost them many more games, and hopefully Minnesota looks better from the line starting on Wednesday against the Golden State Warriors.
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