Well, we’ve seen that before.
On Saturday night in downtown Minneapolis, the Minnesota Timberwolves took on the Los Angeles Clippers, who have had a brutal start to their season. They came into the matchup with the third-worst record in the Western Conference at 6-17 record and recently sent home franchise legend Chris Paul as they prepare to either release or trade him.
It was yet another opportunity for the Wolves, who had won their previous four games, to pick up a win against a struggling opponent, something they have done in 12 of their 13 games this season against teams with losing records.
Minnesota got a wakeup call in the first quarter that the Clippers would not be playing as poorly as their record might indicate. The Wolves struggled on both sides of the ball, turning it over numerous times while struggling to stop the Clippers on the other end of the floor.
While the defense started to get stops in the second quarter, the offense continued to be ineffective, finishing the first half with just 42 points. They made just 45.5 percent of their shots from the floor, including only two of their ten 3-point attempts.
Minnesota’s shot map painted a picture of an offense that was unable to generate easy looks as the Timberwolves shot 13 mid-range jump shots in the first half to just nine combined layups or dunks as the Wolves trailed 56-42 at the end of two quarters.
The Wolves’ intensity increased to open up the third quarter as Jaden McDaniels went on his own 9-0 run to cut the Clippers’ lead down to six.
The Wolves trailed 78-72 heading into the fourth quarter before a 13-5 run to start the frame gave the Wolves their first lead since the score was 5-4. Minnesota continued to grow that lead throughout the fourth quarter with great ball movement and solid defense, eventually going up by nine points with 3:56 left.
That is when the déjà va kicked in. The Wolves proceeded to give up a 9-0 run over the next three minutes to tie the game. Just like their game against the Sacramento Kings before Thanksgiving and their matchup with the Boston Celtics two games later, the Wolves surrendered a late run, allowing the opposing team to tie the game.
After a pair of Mike Conley free throws and a jump shot to again tie the game from Bogdan Bogdanović, the Wolves had the ball with 30 seconds left. What happened next can only be described one way. Two Words: Naz Reid.
Following a James Harden layup and two Jaden McDaniels free throws, the Wolves got a stop on defense to close out a 109-106 victory. It is their fifth straight win, all of which have come on big second-half runs after less than stellar first halves.
Chris Finch spoke after the game about what the Wolves can do to turn aroudn the first-half defense, which has been an area of struggle during this five-game win streak.
“Got to get a better effort defensively from our main guys right now. Starting the first half just too casual. It’s now been five games in a row, and we’ve had to come from behind to win it, but we’re not putting our stamp on the game defensively right away, just too loose.”
McDaniels was outstanding, putting in 27 points on 10-13 shooting including making all three of his 3-pointers. He also dominated the defensive end with two steals and a block. Reid was great as well, especially in the where he scored 14 of his 19 points.
Anthony Edwards has a rough game as he struggled to find his own offense with the Clippers sending two defenders at him the entire game. He finished with 15 points, making only three of his eleven shots while turning it over five times. He did make all nine of his free throws.
The Timberwolves are back at Target Center Monday night to take on the Phoenix Suns. They look to get revenge for the day after Thanksgiving collapse, when the Wolves blew an eight-point lead with less than a minute left. Devin Booker is unlikely to play in the game.
The game begins at 6:30 PM CT and airs on both Peacock and FanDuel Sports Network.