After Karl-Anthony Towns’ long-anticipated return from injury, the Minnesota Timberwolves appeared poised to make a late-season push to climb up the Western Conference standings. Managing to secure four consecutive wins against playoff teams, Minnesota was finally taking the form of a group that could make some noise come playoffs. But in typical Timberwolves fashion, the team has managed to maintain their season-long trend of mediocrity by losing their last three outings – with their latest loss being the worst in an already underwhelming season.
Following a devastating loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday fueled by a team-wide illness and an Anthony Davis masterclass, it seemed apparent what Minnesota needed to do on Sunday. Sitting in ninth place with a 39-39 record, the Wolves knew their next game needed to be the start of another late-season win streak in hopes of getting a favorable playoff matchup. And after the Blazers listed Damian Lillard and Anfernee Simons as out for Sunday’s game, the Timberwolves entered Target Center as the clear favorites to win.
From the opening tip, it was apparent that Minnesota would not be able to just waltz their way to a win. The Portland Trail Blazers continuously attacked the Wolves’ drop scheme, seemingly getting whatever midrange shot they desired.
On the other end of the floor, no one besides Edwards could get anything going – including Towns, who finished the game with only eight points on three field goal attempts.
With Minnesota looking like they’d rather be elsewhere for most of the game, Portland’s bench unit outscored the Wolves 107-105. Even with the Timberwolves’ other blunders against prominent tanking teams such as the Detroit Pistons and Houston Rockets earlier in the year, Sunday’s defeat will go down in history–and for all of the wrong reasons.
Heading into the afternoon matchup, the Trail Blazers had lost 11 of their last 12 games. Already missing several key starters, it’d be easy to say that head coach Chauncey Billups was short-handed. But PDX wasn’t just missing their core pieces – they were without the majority of Billups’s entire rotation:
- Damian Lillard
- Anfernee Simons
- Justice Winslow
- Jerami Grant
- Jusuf Nurkic
- Keon Johnson
- Nassir Little
- Ibou Badji
Portland’s starting five resembled one that you may see while watching a G-League game.
A young and inexperienced team, their starters have only been in the league for a combined 15 years, one year shy of Wolves’ starting point guard Mike Conley. The Timberwolves opened the game as 19.5-point favorites to come out on top. But along with youthful inexperience comes hunger.
Skylar Mays is fighting for a spot in the NBA while on a 10-day contract. Kevin Knox II, a former lottery pick, is doing everything he can to keep his head above water while on his fourth team since being drafted in 2018. But the Wolves simply refused to respect Portland’s desire to walk away with the W. In return, they were rewarded with being on the wrong side of a historic upset.
Regardless of their abysmal showing against Portland, Minnesota has to be better against teams like the one Billups put out on the floor Sunday. It’s what’s so frustrating about this team. From top to bottom, this is by far the most talented team in franchise history. Already the second-worst franchise by winning percentage in American sports, the players and coaching staff should be doing everything in their power to rewrite the narrative surrounding the team by winning the games they’re supposed to.
Instead, they tossed aside a victory that could have improved their chances of bypassing the play-in tournament. Now with just three games remaining on their season schedule, the Timberwolves will have to fight desperately just to see a Game 83.
