Rockets 117, Wolves 111: The Almost Breakthrough

Rob Dillingham had his breakout game that will give the coaching staff no reason to deny him minutes. But it came up just short of perfect.

This was about to be the blog post that you could crush up and inject into your veins as pure, unmitigated Rob Dillingham propaganda after a flawless performance that lifted the Minnesota Timberwolves to a win after a massive comeback over the Houston Rockets.

You might still get some of that. But man, we were so, so close.

What proved to be a +24, 12-point, career-high seven-assist game for the rookie. That’s now back-to-back breakout performances from Dillingham that were all for naught. However, it was a product that showed a need being satisfied for a team that so desperately has to have a real point guard in the lineup to conduct a reasonable offense.

The need was proven to be realized slightly too late in a time where the margin for error was too thin to overcome late.

The inverse results were apparent early. Donte DiVincenzo started in place of Mike Conley, who missed his third straight game. Disorganization took place right off the bat and resulted in Houston taking an 11-point first-quarter lead.

“I didn’t really like our effort and energy in the first half,” Head Coach Chris Finch said afterward. “[We] kept giving it back, trying to do too much”

Jabari Smith started fast for Houston and took advantage of soft closeouts. A 32 percent three-point shooter so far this season, he poured in 13 first-half points on 3-4 shooting from deep and was a major reason that Houston was able to jump all over the Wolves early.

Overall cluelessness ensued on the other end of the Wolves. Outside of perhaps one of the best Anthony Edwards plays of the year so far, ball movement was little to none, turnovers were plentiful, and DiVincenzo was struggling to spray the ball to open shooters and keep possession of the ball on drives.

The Wolves rounded out the half with nine turnovers and kept poor play rolling into the second, to the point where a joyous and loud Target Center finally snapped, articulating that they had finally had enough.

It was reminiscent of the 2022-23 season, where the boo birds would find their wings so often during stretches of poor, aimless, and selfish play from a team that had such high expectations attached to it. A team that didn’t have much of a point guard in the pre-Conley days, and was at odds with itself over something as correctable as being able to direct their own traffic and as Finch put it, letting the offense affect their defense too much.

Just like I had the Rob Dillingham propaganda in the hopper, I had the start of a doomsday piece ready to go.

Then a point guard came and smacked them in the face.

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Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images

The Point Guard Problem (And Solution)

It’s time that we stop the “Donte DiVincenzo is a point guard” idea.

It hasn’t worked all season. It continues to not work. He does specific things well (moving and shooting) and at this point with where the team is at, needs to focus on those things before adding further responsibilities to his plate (being a full-on NBA point guard); and yes, the ability to get open was on display when he saw the court alongside Dillingham.

He needs to do less in order to help the offense more.

The recent burst of the first-round rookie, especially in the wake of Conley’s absence, has shown just how desperately this team needs a point guard presence on the floor. It’s reflected by an 0-4 record without Conley, and the +24 posted by Dillingham on Tuesday.

“I think it’s evident that our rhythm is affected,” Finch said when asked about giving an unconventional point guard like DiVincenzo or Nickeil Alexander-Walker point guard responsibilities in the lineup.

“Ant and Julius feel they have to do too much too early…Rob’s play early has revealed that for us.”

Finch added that he was trying to get play calls in during the overtime period and attempted to slow the offense down to get organized, but the lack thereof reared its ugly head again in a period where Dillingham didn’t see any run until it was too late.

A selfless organization of where the ball is going shields the team from immaturity and getting too hasty on offense. The Wolves went on a 16-0 run as soon as Dillingham entered the game in the second half and came up just short down the stretch and into OT.

They simply ran out of time and out of leash.

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Emptying the Notebook

• Jaden McDaniels had another rough outing. He missed several timely wide-open 3-pointers both in the fourth quarter and the overtime period. He finished the game 1-8 from three, and 0-4 in the fourth quarter and overtime. While he was active on the glass and was the culprit for some important second chance points, teams are noticeably guarding him much softer behind the arc.
• Speaking of a rough stretch, Anthony Edwards went 0-8 in the fourth quarter and overtime. His shot selection late in the fourth quarter was mostly poor. It goes back to what Finch said after the game; instead of going for an immediate kill shot, it felt at times like the offense had a healthy enough rhythm to set up and attack the rim.
• Rudy Gobert played nearly 20 straight minutes in foul trouble. He checked in late in the third quarter, played the entire fourth quarter, and most of overtime. He was also the only starter that finished with a positive plus-minus.

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Up Next

The Wolves will stay at Target Center for a home back-to-back against a team they haven’t lost to in two attempts this season in the Sacramento Kings. The Kings have lost four straight and will be without DeMar DeRozan.

The last time the two teams played, De’Aaron Fox went for 60 points on his home floor.

It’s an excellent opportunity for the Wolves to get back on track and find some footing during a three-game skid.

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Highlights