Timberwolves 120, Wizards 106: An Ugly Yet Necessary Win

The Timberwolves played poorly for most of the game, but played well enough in the fourth quarter to secure the win.

In what was clearly Monday night’s most anticipated Minnesota sporting event, the Minnesota Timberwolves took on the Washington Wizards. While many eyes were on the Minnesota Vikings and their playoff game against the Los Angeles Rams, the Wolves went up against a league-worst Wizards team.

Washington has not just been the worst team in the league this season, they have performed like one of the worst teams in this recent era of the NBA. They rank dead last in both offensive and defensive rating and their -13.6 Net Rating is worse than every team since the 2011-12 season.

The game started slow offensively as both teams shot the ball poorly in the first quarter. The Wolves finished the quarter shooting 10-24 (41.7 percent) from the field, only to be outdone by the Wizards who shot 8-25 (32 percent). The two teams combined for only 45 points, with the Wolves carrying a 25-20 lead into the second quarter.

Overall, a feeling of malaise seemed to surround the Wolves for the entire first half. There were very few bursts of quality play. The energy was down from the fans in the building and the Wolves themselves.

The Wolves would build a lead as high as nine points in the second quarter before a series of Timberwolves turnovers, bringing their first-half total to 13, and a buzzer-beating 3-pointer from Jordan Poole cut the Wolves lead to 51-47 heading into halftime.

The halftime break did nothing to wake the Wolves up as their play would decline even further in the third quarter. In the period, the Timberwolves defense would allow the Wizards to make 13 of their 23 shots from the field, including six 3-pointers.

Washington would grab as high as a three-point lead before a pair of 3-pointers from Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Mike Conley gave the Wolves an 82-79 lead heading into the final quarter of play.

Despite the lackluster three quarters of play from the Wolves, they were able to pull away midway through the fourth quarter thanks to a 14-2 that saw the Minnesota lead balloon to as high as 14 points, punctuated by an Anthony Edwards long-range bomb. Edwards would have a handful of highlight plays to follow.

The Timberwolves would cruise to victory from there, beating the Wizards 120-106. Edwards was spectacular for the Wolves offensively putting up with 41 points, 7 assists, and 6 rebounds. Julius Randle was solid on both ends of the floor scoring 20 points while grabbing 10 rebounds, including several thunderous dunks. Kyle Kuzma led the Wizards in scoring with 22 points.

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Key Takeaways

Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

Anthony Edwards Fourth Quarter Masterclass

The first three quarters of the game were quiet for both Edwards and the Timberwolves. Ant did have 21 points, but the Wolves were up by only three points against a Wizards team they should have been able to dominate.

That all changed in the fourth quarter when Edwards dropped 20 points, giving him 41 for the game. During the seven-minute scoring boomlet for the Wolves superstar, Minnesota increased their lead from only three points all the way up to 16.

Edwards spoke after the game about what went into his late-game scoring burst that put the game away for the Timberwolves.

“In the first half, I didn’t read the game as much. I was already processing that they were doubling before the game even started. And they wasn’t in the first half. And then when I realized that in the second half, I was able to be more aggressive. I asserted my dominance, and I think I did that.”

Ant also spoke about his mindset in fourth quarters and if he is looking to put the dagger into opposing teams when he feels the game can taken over.

“In the fourth quarter, I always tell Mike Conley, find me. In the fourth quarter, make sure you find me. I don’t care where I’m at. Bring the ball to me in the fourth, for sure.”

Just one game after the Memphis Grizzlies were able to take Edwards out of the game and limit him to just 15 points, it’s a great sign for Ant and the Wolves that he was immediately able to bounce back from that performance to put up tonight’s outstanding scoring display.

The caveat to a performance like tonight is that the Wizards are the worst defensive team in the league and did deploy the proper defensive strategy. The true test will come against better opponents who have higher quality defenders and structure, but at least for one night, Ant carried the Wolves to victory, one then needed.

Timberwolves Turnover Problems Continue

The Wolves turned the ball over 19 times, 13 of which came in the first half. When the Wolves’ offense wasn’t turning it over, they were able to score the ball well as they scored 69 points in the second half, but the barrage of turnovers in the first half allowed the Wizards to stay in the game.

Timberwolves coach Chris Finch echoed the idea that the turnovers were the issues when talking about what were the issues with the offense in the first half in his post-game press conference.

“Not turn the ball over. 13 of them at half. You know, we built a seven point lead and we turned over transition with the ball and then it sparks like a 12-3 run for them I think. It’s a major point of emphasis for us right now.”

Edwards led the Wolves in turnovers with seven. Finch touched on what happened on some of Edwards’s turnovers and what he saw from his game on the night as a whole.

“A lot of his turnovers happened in traffic when he tries to reverse course. I thought when he did make a counter move or some sort of step through tonight, it was in the flow with space where he could really gather, drew some fouls that way too. So I thought it was just his determination to go one direction.”

Coming into tonight’s game the Timberwolves had the fifth-worst turnover percentage which has been one of the largest reasons their offense has been ranked 18th in offensive rating to this point, one spot lower than last year’s team.

Many of the turnovers tonight were careless and costly. They were able to get away with it tonight against the worst team in the league and Edwards went bananas in the fourth quarter. If the Wolves hope to reach the lofty preseason goals they set for themselves, they will need to be much better at taking care of the ball than they’ve been to this point this season.

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Up Next

Following this one-game road trip in the nation’s capital, the Timberwolves return home to Target Center for a batter against the Golden State Warriors. It will be the fourth and final game between the two teams with the Warriors winning two of the first three matchups.

The game will begin Wednesday, January 15th at 8:30 PM CT, airing nationally on ESPN and locally on FanDuel Sports Network North.

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Game Highlights