Hawks vs. Timberwolves Final Score: Another Late Game Failure

On By Littum

It’s that time of the season where a career game from a solid but pretty average NBA shooter in Garrison Mathews began another official losing streak for the Minnesota Timberwolves.

It’s not like Mathews’ field goals were out of the ordinary. They were actually one of the easiest shots for an NBA player to make; a wide open corner three.

Failure to close and rotate will make Mathews look like prime Kyle Korver. On Monday it happened.

Despite another good play by Naz Reid and discovery of offense as the game wore on, a pitiful first quarter and lackluster offensive fourth quarter tied for the season’s third three-game losing streak.

The 2023-24 Wolves never had a three-game losing streak in the regular season.

You could tell early on that it was a Minnesota team that had to travel after a groundbreaking two-game homestand.

The game started like they all have. Disorganized offensive basketball, pathetic transition defense and an overall distinct lack of communication when the defense was set, which led to Mathews getting off to an early start and running to the basket more easily.

The Hawks started things off on a 27-9 run. Naz Reid’s bucket with 1:50 left in the first was the Wolves’ first basket in nearly six minutes.

It parlayed into a great second quarter for the Wolves, where they got back into the game and miraculously took a lead into the break. They shot 53 percent from the field in the period and 57 percent from three.

The offense from this team, mostly with the bench in it, is palpable. There is a rhythm that is injected into the ball and shots fall. Much of that was spurred by a 23-point night from Naz Reid and excellent two-way play from Nickeil Alexander-Walker (none of this is new, it’s just worth repeating).

But that can only take you so far. A 38 percent fourth quarter from the field and 12 percent from three with the same defensive script of soft closeouts and soft nature at the rim ended up being the kiss of death in a third straight double-digit loss for the Timberwolves.

The big difference between the play of the bench unit and the starting five is significant. With another game slipping away due to the same bad habits, it’s fair to ask if it’s time to shake things up and make an adjustment to find better combos both in-game and to boot.

“Everything is always on the table,” head coach Chris Finch said afterward.

Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Atlanta Hawks

Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

Time for a shakeup?

There will come a time when changes can be made to the starting line-up. It might not come next game, it might not even come next week. It certainly has to be considered at this point given the holes the Wolves find themselves in early in games, with Reid and Alexander-Walker expected to throw on the mantle.

Randle is a natural fit with the bench unit and the shooters he’s surrounded by, and Reid’s ability to shift and be a catalyst for ball movement is something that could take over the starters and possibly get things back on track.

Finch alluded to the fact that Randle and Donte DiVincenzo already have some chemistry in knowing where each other is on the floor, perhaps a bit better than the others who work with Randle on a heavier basis.

DDV and Randle have played 369 minutes together this year. It is the fifth-highest player DiVincenzo plays next to in terms of minutes; they have a -0.9 net rating compared to a player the former Villanova standout plays with more in Rudy Gobert, who he has a -4.2 net rating next to.

Does Randle inject into a three-man group with DDV and Nickeil Alexander-Walker? a net rating of 5.4.

It has now been two games in a row where the Wolves have had to dig themselves out of almost 20 point first quarter deficits, and that cannot be sustainable going forward if you are looking to right the ship. It just can’t.

It’s not like they’ve passed the eye test with flying colors in other games either. When there isn’t much of a leg up at this point that they give you early game, it becomes an issue worth looking into

Finch could easily do that where he sticks with his guys and it ends up working out in the long run, but as someone who watches games from the media area and his couch, my unprofessional opinion and less educated than that of the coaching staff. some shifts should start to take place.

Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Atlanta Hawks

Photo by Adam Hagy/NBAE via Getty Images

Emptying the notebook

  • Josh Minott gave some really good minutesto the point where the Wolves have a problem on their hands as to who their ninth man in the rotation will be on a night-to-night basis between Minott and Rob Dillingham. He finished +8, the only player on the team to finish positive along with Alexander-Walker.
  • Another really bad Rudy Gobert game. He starts stacking them. He was pulled in the fourth quarter and didn’t close out the game after making a crucial tip-in to Clint Capela while in good rebound position. Much of the blame right now lies with Julius Randle, but Gobert’s rebounding has also increased this season. Any hope of getting back on track has to come with him playing closer to himself last year.
  • The officials were not good. The Wolves didn’t shoot a single free throw in the first quarter and had some questionable touch fouls in the second half. I think it’s fair to call Monday a bit unbalanced. You have to wonder if it had anything to do with Anthony Edwards’ comments after the last fight.
  • Outside of the first quarter, I actually didn’t mind this play from Julius Randle. It started 0-5 from the field, with his first field goal coming 10:20 into the second quarter, but the defensive effort was much better. Spacing continued to be more of an issue tonight than overall effort. The Wolves can win with that performance.

Next

What would you most like to do at the moment? Talk to your family or watch this current iteration of the wolves?

You’ll find out on Christmas Day when they head to Dallas for a date with Luka Doncic and a hot Mavericks team that has won back-to-back games by double digits. Tipoff is at 1:30 AM CST.

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