26 January 2024
Mikal Bridges went to the free-throw line with a chance to tie the game with 2.4 seconds remaining Thursday.
Brooklyn Nets center Nic Claxton (33) attempts a dunk as Minnesota Timberwolves forward Kyle Anderson (1) and center Naz Reid watch during the first half of an NBA basketball game in New York, Thursday, Jan. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Peter K. Afriyie)
Bridges missed the first free-throw. A lane violation on the next attempt gave the ball back to Minnesota, and essentially iced the Timberwolves’ 96-94 victory in Brooklyn.
That it came down to that in a game Minnesota outplayed the Nets for 90 percent of the affair was a problem. And it was also the result of a clutch-time offense that has struggled mightily of late.
The culprit Thursday was Anthony Edwards, who missed his final 10 shots of the contest, yet continued to settle for bad looks down the stretch. Most of those looks were contested.
Minnesota simply refused to do what worked when those opportunities presented themselves. For instance, one of the Wolves’ few late-game successes came with 2 minutes, 5 seconds remaining, when Karl-Anthony Towns blew by an undersized Bridges for a layup to extend Minnesota’s lead to four — the Wolves’ first bucket in five minutes of game time. Towns scored 10 of Minnesota’s measly 15 fourth-quarter points.
“I was just aggressive in my scoring and my playmaking. I just kept finding gaps that I could dribble the ball through and be aggressive in my finishing at the basket,” Towns said in his postgame, on-court television interview. “The threes wasn’t really there too much today. It was just utilizing my size and strength and trying to use my finishing and touch around the basket to try to help us win this game.”
The next time down, Towns again got the switch onto Bridges at the top of the floor. But Edwards looked off Towns and instead opted for a highly contested triple over center Nic Claxton that didn’t touch the rim.
Minnesota Timberwolves forward Kyle Anderson (1) is defended by Brooklyn Nets guard Cam Thomas (24) during the first half of an NBA basketball game in New York, Thursday, Jan. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Peter K. Afriyie)
The Timberwolves continue to struggle mightily when it matters most in contests. They committed eight fourth-quarter giveaways Thursday.
“This is our fourth quarters of late. We just turn it over at a high volume. Eight turnovers in the fourth quarter, and they came in pretty typical ways,” Timberwolves coach Chris Finch told reporters. “And then you put some iffy shot selection on top of it, that’s why things are snowballing against us. We’ve got to fix that, or we won’t be able to take the next step as a team.”
But Thursday’s collapse didn’t result in a loss, thanks to the work put in over the first three quarters.
Minnesota put forth one of its best defensive performances in recent weeks, holding Brooklyn to 46 percent shooting from the field and just 33 percent from deep. Brooklyn scored just 17 points in the second quarter after a strong offensive start and 20 in the fourth quarter.
Most of Brooklyn’s hits down the stretch were tough, contested looks. Bridges went 4 for 4 in the fourth. His teammates were a combined 2 for 11.
“Gutsy win. Our defense was phenomenal. It was good to see that back all game long, really,” Finch said. “I thought we were into them. Ball pressure. Just relentless in our pursuit. … Rudy was huge at the bottom of the defense for us, and we rebounded extremely well.”
Towns led Minnesota with 27 points Thursday, while Edwards added on 24. Rudy Gobert had 10 points and 13 rebounds, while Mike Conley scored 10 points in his return after missing the previous two contests.