Wolves Continue to Struggle in disappointing Loss to the Jazz

The Minnesota Timberwolves continue to surprise me in new and horrifying ways. To say I taper my expectations for a game like this is an understatement; I’ve grown to expect little from this team, and their record through January does zilch in swaying my opinion. But then a game starts and they get you. Somehow, each week this team finds some different way of digging their claws into my back and trapping me under their spell. They’ll make shots, defend well, and contend in a game they have no real business hanging around in. You can see the potential the basketball world has been drooling about for the better part of three seasons beginning to take shape, like maybe this team is genuinely figuring out how to exist as a cohesive unit that can close out games down the stretch. Almost like clockwork, the spell always breaks, though, and we’re all left scratching our heads at what the hell just happened. This was one of those games.

Lavine looked like a man on a mission right out of the gate. He had six of the Timberwolves points in the first seven minutes and the Jazz struggled to adjust, alternating with a combination of Rodney Hood and Joe Ingles to engage the Minnesota guard. He finished the night with 24 points on 10-21 shooting, leading both teams in points and FGA and was also extremely active on the glass. He pulled down nine boards, including an impressive three offensive rebounds. It was a nice bounce back after his atrocious night against Washington and his 3-14 shooting night. Lavine just doesn’t bring enough to the table on the defensive end, so when his shots unable to fall like it was on Friday he’s near useless on the floor. Tonight was encouraging.

Both teams played tight throughout the first half. Despite shooting struggles from Minnesota as a whole during a stretch in the second (they missed an abysmal 7 straight at one point), the Timberwolves entered halftime with a one point lead, 48-47, restricting Utah to 40.5% shooting at the half.

The Wolves came out of the locker room hard in a welcoming twist from their incessant 3rd quarter struggles. Towns, who shot 1-6 during the first half, had 9 points and six rebounds in the quarter. KAT found himself forced to deal with Utah’s defensive anchor Rudy Gobert for much of the night, and the two were extremely physical beneath the basket for stretches. Like all games, their were several no-calls that definitely should have given the referees pause and I’m sure Towns is dealing with some residual soreness the morning after, but c’est la vie.

Perhaps the most encouraging sign tonight came from the Ricky Rubio and his ability to nail mid-range shots. Rubio finished 5-7 with 12 points and definitely helped spread the offense when the Jazz were forced to take him seriously as a scoring threat. The Wolves led 80-69 going into the fourth.

Utah began slowly chipping at the lead as time wined down, however, and the Wolves noticeably tightened and performed accordingly. I don’t want to harp too much, but this was not a good night for Andrew Wiggins. He struggled to convert, shooting an abysmal 6-19 to score 16 points. He  failed to be an effective presence from the free-throw line going 3-7, and got cute with his ball-handling one to many times, turning the ball over a team high five times. Rudy Gobert was in foul trouble for much of the game, and quickly got to five early in the fourth. The Jazz were more tentative inside on the defensive end, but no one on the Wolves seemed willing to take advantage. Utah went on a 7-0 run over the closing 3 minutes of the quarter, all on behalf of Derrick Favors who finished the game 15 points on 7-12 shooting.

The Timberwolves have turned losing into an art form. With a 92-83 lead with just over three minutes left, the Wolves shot 0-8 with two turnovers to go along with Utah’s 11-0 run on 4/5 shooting. Per Alan Horton, Minnesota is now 9-12 (.429) when they have a 10+ point lead in a game. The league average is .79.

There is much else to say at this point. There are only so many ways to express shock and astonishment at this team, until very quickly its not surprising any more. As the half way point of the season nears, it’s obvious something is irrationally wrong with the makeup of this team, and it’s clear the wounds run too deep to believe a trade here or a veteran there will somehow make enough of a difference. It’s past time to consider tanking and start looking towards next year’s draft. Thibs needs to take a long, hard look at the roster and decide who and what is important in the composition of this team and culture as we get closer and closer to the offseason. Everyone else can only hold on for what’s been a perplexing blunder of a ride.

Up Next:

Minnesota looks to avoid five losses straight in a matchup against the Dallas Mavericks in Minneapolis.