The Portland Trail Blazers lost to the Minnesota Timberwolves Wednesday 133-109 in Minneapolis. The star of the game was ‘Wolves forward Julius Randle, who went for a remarkable 41 points. Jrue Holiday had the best scoring night for Portland with 23. Holiday’s 45.5% shooting from deep helped, but his 6 turnovers and some wild shots meant that his stat line probably flattens the performance some. Scoot Henderson provided a bright spot for Portland with 18 points on 62.5% shooting from the field and 60% from three.

Both teams started with tempo, energy, and more than a few turnovers. The problem for the Blazers was that Minnesota hit shots while Portland didn’t. If you are looking for a silver lining, the Blazers had enough open threes early to make it a competitive game. They just couldn’t cash in enough of them.

The Timberwolves led by as many as 16 in first half. Credit to the Blazers for not folding, but it never really felt like they were going to make a real challenge. They did get it down to ten points at the half, but that seemed like a huge mountain to climb. Good shifts from Scoot Henderson and Vit Krejci take some of the credit for keeping things close-ish.

A terrible start to the second half saw Minnesota’s lead balloon to 20 before the third quarter was halfway done. More turnovers from the Blazers, accurate three-pointers from the ‘Wolves, and fast breaks did the damage. Portland’s effort never flagged and they had a few mini-runs, but they never seriously threatened the rest of the way.

Here are some instant reactions to tonight’s game.

Deni Avdija had a night to forget: 3-14 from the field, 0-7 from three. He finished with a staggering -32 plus/minus, the worst by some margin for the Blazers. Sometimes plus/minus doesn’t tell much of a story. Tonight that stat summed up Avdija’s contributions. Blazers fans might question the lack of whistles the team, and especially Avdija, got tonight, but Deni had a hard time. Five turnovers didn’t help.

Fast breaks killed the Blazers. Minnesota cashed in 25 points on the break, while Portland managed only 5. That difference alone makes up most of the margin of victory. Give Minnesota a lot of credit, they showed impressive team hustle and speed when the Blazers turned it over or missed a three. It wasn’t just a single Timberwolves guard leaking out, two or even three players lead the charge going the other way, overwhelming any Blazers who tried to defend the break.

Dishonorable mention for stat of the night goes to Portland’s 25 turnovers, most of which were punished by Minnesota quickly and with prejudice.

Minnesota is good and a tough matchup for Portland. The Blazers surely won’t be proud of their performance, but it felt like the Timberwolves had another gear or two available if they had needed it.

This game is a good reminder of how far the Blazers need to go to be a genuine threat night-in and night-out. If Avdija had had a better game, the Blazers would have still lost. If the team had gotten better whistles, they still would have lost. If they’d had fewer turnovers, still they would have lost. If they had shot better, they would have lost still. If all of those things had happened together, they might have stood a chance. That’s a small margin for error. Minnesota respected the Blazers and played like it. At this moment in time, the Timberwolves are a better team and they showed it.

The Northwest Division can be cruel when it comes to travel. The Blazers are flying from one division rival in Minnesota Wednesday night to face another on Thursday evening. They’ll be in Salt Lake City to take on the Utah Jazz, nearly 1,000 miles distant from the Twin Cities. After that, they’ll have to wait over a week to lace them up again due to the NBA All-Star Break.