The ESPN primetime matchup between the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Los Angeles Lakers perhaps wasn’t what it was billed to be before the season, versus what it ended up being on the floor.
Still down Anthony Edwards and Jaylen Clark, the Wolves faced a Laker squad that could only physically dress eight players for Wednesday night’s game.
Unfortunately for the Wolves, the unfortunate injury narrative that everyone has become used to over the last week was mirrored by the on-court product.
Uninspired and downright asleep at times, the Wolves refused to box out a Laker team that consistently crashed the glass, getting out-rebounded 23-16 in the first half.
Heavy underdogs heading into the evening, LA was able to get into a rhythm by generating second chance points and finding success in the paint with Rudy Gobert off the floor by way of Austin Reaves (18 first half points) and DeAndre Ayton (12 first half points), go on to shoot 60 percent from the field, and be up 11 to 4 in second chance points.
Much of it was due to Rudy Gobert being rendered completely ineffective. With just five rebounds through three and a half quarters, Gobert was having a challenging time boxing out and getting beaten to his spot by a player in Ayton who frequently catches criticisms for leaving meat on the bone night in and night out.
With 102 points two minutes into the fourth quarter, it was another porous effort from the Wolves on that end of the ball, and matched with an offensive stinker as well.
Jake LaRavia would go on to finish 10-11 from the field (yes, you read that right), with most of his production completely unguarded. LA would go on to finish with a similar halftime mark of 53 percent from the field and match it with a 35 percent night from three.
Though it all was shaping up to be a blowout, it wasn’t all bad and wasted for Julius Randle and company, who continue to look like an all-star and use space effectively to playmake and get to the basket on mismatches.
Down 15 points with six minutes left, the Wolves would finally find some fight and make a run back. All of the things that were problems in the first three and a half quarters were completely inverted. Team rebounding became important, swift offense became important, all culminating in what looked like a Randle game-winner.
The bugaboos just came back for one last possession; a missed blitz from Rudy Gobert on a screen, finding himself in no man’s land, and giving a clear runway to Austin Reaves for a game-winning floater that he would make in his sleep.
An exclamation point on a night that should have never happened, against a team that the Wolves should have put away in the first half. How do I know this? They showed it in six minutes in the fourth quarter.
“When it’s winning time, you start to see people hitting people a little earlier in box outs, people are jumping above the rim with two hands to grab the rebound and not with your hands down…we’re all in a whole ‘nother state, and that just can’t be our way of life around here,” Mike Conley said after the game, reflecting on a switch that needed to be flipped earlier.
Does all of this sound familiar?
While coach Chris Finch made a couple of defensive adjustments at halftime in how they play off of screens in switching a little bit more and attempting to blitz, none of it really mattered. The current consistent competitive level of this team to contain the ball before penetrating the paint does not exist. Typically, they find it eventually, and everything ends up evened out by the time the snow hits the ground.
But massive issues remain with this team, and getting on the same page fast should be a priority for a team whose theme heading into the season was continuity. Or else, we’ll be writing the exact same story night after night.
MINNEAPOLIS, MN – OCTOBER 29: Rudy Gobert #27 of the Minnesota Timberwolves is introduced before the game against the Los Angeles Lakers on October 29, 2025 at Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2025 NBAE (Photo by Jordan Johnson/NBAE via Getty Images) NBAE via Getty Images
Rudy Gobert was pretty quiet in the locker room after the game; reflective of as he sat in his locker stall across the way where the media was talking to Jaden McDaniels. While no one knows what he was thinking about, one could make the inference that he too, was thinking that he needs to be better for a team that so sorely needs him right now.
Another game of a single-digit counting stats across the board, Gobert had a severe case of ball-watching when it was his task to box out and go for the rock. Could his teammates have helped him? Most definitely. But for his entire Wolves tenure, Gobert has been relied upon as a tone-setter; because of his physicality, ability to end possessions, and mask the mistakes made around him, his team feeds off of it and flies around.
Outside of a nice game against the Indiana Pacers on Sunday, the French defensive anchor has been a shell of that so far this season. Now sans Edwards, the Wolves need him, and the worst part about Wednesday night is there didn’t feel like much of a difference between the Rudy minutes and the non-Rudy minutes until it was too late.
Are we chastising his extension, revving up the trade machine, and running the gambit of reactionary tactics due to a slow start to the season? Absolutely not. But the hope is that Gobert can find a semblance of himself here sooner rather than later, or else this team has bigger problems than Anthony Edwards being out.
MINNEAPOLIS, MN – OCTOBER 29: Naz Reid #11, Terrence Shannon Jr. #1, Jaylen Clark #22 and Leonard Miller #33 of the Minnesota Timberwolves celebrate during the game against the Los Angeles Lakers on October 29, 2025 at Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2025 NBAE (Photo by David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images) NBAE via Getty Images
Everyone shares the blame after a loss like this, but man, the bench was really really bad. Terrence Shannon Jr. fell into the trap of sitting in the corner and not getting active downhill, and Naz Reid continued his run of shaky performances. Reid has been dealing with unimaginable tragedy; I don’t expect him to come out of the gate flying. But he and Shannon are two players that will dictate this season and how far this team ends up going. Especially in Reid’s case with the contract he signed, there is no other option. His career has been marked by euphoric highs and chasms that follow, and consistency has never been one to find him on a nightly basis. This season, that’s been ringing truer and truer as the games go on. He will find his shot eventually, but he’s due…After the game, Finch mentioned that he needs to find ways to get Donte DiVincenzo more shots. I agree. Outside of the last play, DDV was one of the bright spots in knocking down shots and jumpstarting the offense when it was needed, taking some pressure off of Julius Randle and Jaden McDaniels. With just seven attempts tonight compared to his often double-digit attempts later in the season last year, I would be shocked if he doesn’t get at least 10 up in Charlotte.Rob Dillingham gave good minutes. He fell out of rhythm on his second shift and forced the issue a little too much, but his first shift was solid in generating offense with his eight points and five assists, while also making sure he was assertive in taking open looks. Finch affirmed that after the game, saying that his first shift was smooth. With Jaylen Clark due back soon, it would be surprising to see Dillingham continue to get consistent minutes, but I think he did enough to at least earn some looks with Bones Hyland moving forward.
The Wolves will hit the road and take on LaMelo Ball and the Charlotte Hornets, kicking off a quick three-game road trip. Charlotte poses another tough defensive test for Minnesota, as they currently post a 120 offensive rating as a team, good for fourth in the league.
Tipoff is at 5:00 PM CT on Saturday.