Timberwolves' brutal loss to Utah Jazz fuels a troubling season narrative

New York Times

01-03-2025

When the Minnesota Timberwolves walked out of the arena in Los Angeles on Thursday night with steam coming out of their ears following a foul-filled, ejection-marred loss to the Lakers, they did so with the idea that they had just gotten through one of the most grueling parts of their schedule.
They played the Oklahoma City Thunder three times, the Houston Rockets and the Lakers in five games right around the All-Star break. Minnesota beat the Thunder twice, and could have made it three were it not for an injury to Jaylen Clark, so tight losses to the Rockets and Lakers did not feel as existential as some defeats earlier in the season.
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With that stretch mercifully over, they could look forward to one of the league's easiest schedules over the final 22 games of the season as they tried to move into the top six in the crowded Western Conference playoff field.
What felt like a reprieve at the time — a six-game stretch against the Utah Jazz, Charlotte Hornets, Philadelphia 76ers, Miami Heat, Phoenix Suns and San Antonio Spurs — should serve as a warning. These Timberwolves are in their most trouble in games that they are supposed to win.
This team has been wholly unreliable all season long, one that loves to play down to its competition, as it did in a brutal 117-116 loss to the lowly Utah Jazz on Friday night.
'It doesn't matter whether a team is above or below us, the most dangerous team to us is us,' coach Chris Finch said. 'We have to recognize that and guard against it better.'
Nevermind that the Wolves were missing Anthony Edwards (suspension), Rudy Gobert (back) and Julius Randle (groin) in the game. Nevermind that they were on the second night of a back-to-back after an emotional loss to the Lakers. The Wolves had more than enough to beat the Jazz, who had last lost seven of their previous nine games and were 14-44 on the season.
But once again they dug themselves a hole by falling behind 8-0 in the first 2:15 of the game. The Timberwolves steadied themselves and surged to an 67-56 lead at halftime. And then that same starting group came out and was dusted 11-0 at the start of the third quarter to let a tanking team back into the game.
The Jazz won it on a scramble play late that led to a dunk from Walker Kessler, a little extra sting on this toe stub given that he was the one real player moved in the deal for Gobert three years ago.
WALKER KESSLER FIGHTS THROUGH TRAFFIC TO WIN IN IT UTAH!!! pic.twitter.com/HWSfNHnciq
— NBA (@NBA) March 1, 2025
Donte DiVincenzo had a chance to win the game for the Wolves, but John Collins used good verticality to challenge his shot at the rim and preserve just the 15th victory of the season for the Jazz.
The game was technically lost in that final 9 seconds, when DiVincenzo chose to drive all the way to the rim rather than pull-up for a midrange jumper. In reality, the game was lost at two different junctures — in the third quarter on Thursday against the Lakers when Edwards was ejected for picking up his second technical foul of the game and 16th of the season, earning him a one-game suspension. And then again in the third quarter, when Finch could not find the right pieces to stem a 27-4 avalanche, an inexcusable collapse against a team playing without Lauri Markkanen.
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'It doesn't matter whether a team is above or below us, the most dangerous team to us is us,' Finch told reporters in Utah after the game. 'We have to recognize that and guard against it better.'
They all do. Everyone wears a loss this damaging.
He did not play in this game, and that is where the discussion has to begin. The Wolves' best player was suspended because he picked up two technical fouls and an ejection the night before against the Lakers. That ran his season total of technical fouls to 16, which brings with it the automatic suspension.
Should the Wolves have been able to beat the Jazz without him? Yes. Were the technicals he received a little on the soft side? Maybe. But there is zero chance Minnesota loses this game with him on the court and he has to recognize how important he is to what they're doing. The Wolves were already missing Gobert and Randle, while DiVincenzo is on a minutes restriction. That only increases the need for Edwards to be out there. He knows that.
When he returns against the Suns on Sunday, Edwards has to be on his best behavior. He will be suspended one game for every two technicals he receives the rest of the regular season. It does not matter if the officials miss 10 calls against him during a game. It does not matter if a referee just is in a really bad mood in a particular game and has a quick trigger. It does not matter that the NBA does have a real issue with the consistency and quality of its officiating that needs to be improved. All of that is beyond the Timberwolves' control right now and none of that will be changing in the next few weeks.
Edwards, his coaches and his teammates have to rise above whatever they believe is happening from an officiating standpoint and play through it. They cannot lose anymore games because their best player is suspended.
GO DEEPER
Anthony Edwards is entering the Rasheed Wallace zone for angst with officiating
The slow starts to games has been a season-long issue. The players have to own some of that because it is up to them to bring the required intensity and focus from the jump. But when the problem is recurring to the degree it is with the Timberwolves, it is also up to the coaching staff to find a way to get them going, whether it be with lineup changes, schematic tweaks or other means of tapping into their competitive drive.
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Finch's hands are a little bit tied right now with respect to lineup changes because of the injuries and Edwards' suspension. A quick aside: The Wolves are now 5-8 without Randle and 2-4 in this stretch without Gobert. So maybe two of the most criticized players on the roster are more important than some might think.
Finch inserted Terrence Shannon Jr. into the starting lineup against the Jazz, a smart move given Shannon's seemingly boundless reservoir of energy. He had 17 points, five assists and four rebounds in 28 minutes.
During the game-deciding run in the third quarter, Finch did call two timeouts. He is often criticized for letting runs go too long before stopping the game, but he called one after the 11-0 burst by the Jazz and another when Utah's lead swelled to 83-71 just two minutes later. And it was understandable why he did wait a little bit for the first one because the Wolves were getting the exact shots they wanted against Utah's terrible defense, and just missing them. They missed five layups and a dunk in the first six minutes of the third quarter, three of those by Shannon.
The error on Friday night was likely not shuffling the lineup to a greater degree sooner than he did.
Finch waited until the Wolves were down 76-71 before making a move with his lineup, and that one was to remove Shannon for DiVincenzo. He stuck with Mike Conley at point guard for too long on the second night of a back-to-back. Once Conley did come out, the Wolves closed the quarter 21-11 to pull within two points.
Conley had just three points and was a minus-20 in 18 minutes through the first three quarters. He has rarely been a threat on offense in February. To Conley's credit, he was reinserted into the game in the fourth quarter and made several big plays to help them take a one-point lead with 1:30 to play.
As DiVincenzo's minutes restriction lifts, it will be easier for Finch to reduce Conley's minutes and restructure the starting lineup in a way that might address their poor openings.
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Finch's trust in Conley is well-earned. The veteran has done so much for this team since arriving in a trade and his presumed heir, Rob Dillingham, has not proved ready for a bigger role on a consistent basis. But Conley is also struggling defensively against bigger teams, including in the fourth quarter when the Wolves were running zone and Conley was stuck as the low man on bigs near the rim.
How Finch approaches point guard now that DiVincenzo is healthy will be critical to the team's chances down the stretch.
The two friends have been putting up excellent numbers since the turn of the new year. Reid had 27 points, 11 rebounds, five assists and three steals against the Jazz. McDaniels had 20 points, 10 rebounds, five assists and two steals.
Both are still learning what it means to be offensive focal points in high-leverage situations. With Edwards and Randle out and DiVincenzo just working his way back in, the Wolves needed Reid and McDaniels to drive the scoring down the stretch. Their shot selection left something to be desired.
Reid took 15 3-pointers in the game. He was hot early, but couldn't buy one in the fourth quarter as the Wolves tried to hold off the Jazz. He was 0 for 4 from deep in the final period, including a step-back try when the Wolves were down 112-106. On the next offensive possession, Reid stepped out of bounds on the sideline for a turnover as he tried to pump fake and drive to the rim. Small mistakes that prove costly in a tight game.
McDaniels was 2 for 6 from deep, but pulled the trigger on one with a one-point lead and 29 seconds to go that led to Kessler's game-winning dunk.
Shot selection is so important in late-game situations. Reid and McDaniels are not used to having the ball in their hands with all eyes on them in those late-game moments. They will improve with more reps, but it stung them on Friday.
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The Wolves made 20 3-pointers, turned the Jazz over 20 times and only committed seven turnovers themselves. And they still lost because they were out-rebounded 66-47 and gave up that preposterous run in the third quarter. They now have losses to the Jazz and Wizards on their resume, defeats that cannot happen when you're fighting for playoff positioning.
Minnesota (32-29) has slipped to ninth in the West, one game behind the Clippers (32-27) and surging Warriors (32-27) for the No. 6 seed that would keep the Wolves out of the Play-In Tournament. Three losses to the Warriors when they were flailing pre-Jimmy Butler trade continue to haunt them. They are also just a half-game ahead of Sacramento for the 10th seed. If they lose to 11th-seeded Phoenix (28-32) on Sunday, that gap gets perilously closer.
The records of their opponents down the stretch paint the picture of a clear pathway to the playoffs. But this season has proved that some of the 'easier' games have been the hardest for Minnesota. They have 21 games remaining, ample time to go on a run and push into the top six. DiVincenzo is back, Edwards will be on Sunday and Gobert and Randle figure to not be too far behind. It's all right there for them. But they have used up all of their mulligans, and they have no one but themselves to blame.
(Photo of Chris Finch: Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)