Before Friday’s game against the Milwaukee Bucks, Chris Finch, the coach of the Minnesota Timberwolves, was asked whether he was more concerned about his team’s possible lack of concentration in the final game before the All-Star break or its potential to appear rusty in the first game after.
He joked that he was scared about both, and that Friday night, he had good reason to be afraid, as the Wolves lost to the Bucks 112-107 despite a terrible, rust-filled third quarter.
After a terrible third quarter in which they lost 36–13, the Wolves trailed 17–0. With 4 minutes, 56 seconds remaining, they managed to bring Milwaukee’s advantage down to 98-92 thanks to two straight three-pointers from Karl-Anthony Towns.
That was a part of Wolves’ run of 16–5. With 1:58 remaining, an Anthony Edwards three would trim the lead to 105-101, and with 32 seconds remaining, another Edwards three would bring it to just three. However, Damian Lillard gave Milwaukee the victory with a 21-footer with 10.3 seconds remaining.
The Wolves had been unable to overcome the third quarter. Third quarters have been kind to the Timberwolves for the most of the season; they rank first in the league in third-quarter net rating. This was especially true during the four-game winning run that the team had going into the All-Star break.
However, on Friday, they suffered a 23-point loss in the third quarter. Their offence became a shadow of its former self, going only 6-for-23 with seven mistakes. In the fourth quarter, they were able to regain some offensive coherence, especially with Towns, who finished with 22 points.
Nevertheless, Giannis Antetokounmpo made enough trips to the free-throw line and the hoop in the closing seconds to prevent the Wolves from rallying. Finished 14 of 21 from the free-throw line for 33 points.
Edwards shot just 10-for-27 from the floor and didn’t get hot until the end of the game, finishing with 28 points in his first game back.
