The Minnesota Timberwolves had another offensive collapse late Sunday in San Francisco against the Golden State Warriors.
Anthony Edwards’ three-point make with 4:47 remaining gave him 27 points on 10 of 13 shooting (76.9%) and the Wolves a 106-105 lead. However, the Timberwolves would not score again, falling 114-106. It was yet another game they let slip due to offensive ineptitude.
Minnesota’s clutch time miscues are back, and it must find answers.
The final minutes have become unpredictable and paramount for success in the NBA. Holding a lead for most of the game doesn’t hold as much value when it cannot be closed as a win.
League-wide changes increasing three-point frequency and maximizing offenses have made blowouts more frequent in the current NBA. Yet, there is another side to the equation. It has only lessened the burden for trailing teams, making it easier to come back and steal wins late. Regardless of how the game gets there, clutch-time games are frequent.
Throughout the season, teams will play roughly half of their games under clutch time games. The NBA quantifies this as “The final five minutes of regulation or overtime when the winning team is five points or less ahead.” Something the Timberwolves have been no stranger to in the first quarter of the 2024-25 season.
With how competitive the Western Conference and the play-in tournament era have become, these crucial minutes late in games can completely flip the franchise’s future.
Everyone expected the Wolves to have growing pains after trading Karl-Anthony Towns. They are still developing their identity, chemistry, and direction. However, they must immediately “find a way” in clutch time. Proven players, coaches, and lineups have little time to dabble with such growing pains.
The Timberwolves came into the 2024-25 season with their highest expectations in 20 years. They still have much of their existing core from last season’s roster and staff to properly meet those lofty goals. Matching their Western Conference Finals appearance would be difficult but viable after making a late trade.
If there is one thing the Timberwolves can figure out amongst the adjustments they are making, it is how to play better in late-game scenarios.
Through the first 23 games of the season, the Timberwolves have played 14 clutch-time games, tied for the fourth most in the NBA. They have played 59 minutes of clutch time, which ranks fifth most in the NBA.
In those 14 games, the Timberwolves are 6-8, posting a 26th-ranked NET rating of -19.5. Therefore, 8 of Minnesota’s 11 total losses this season have come in games featuring clutch time minutes.
The one consistent in these games for the Timberwolves has been the offensive deficiencies that have driven Minnesota’s poor performance. They rank poorly league-wide in clutch minutes in three core categories:
- 29th in Offensive Rating (91.8)
- 26th in Effective FG% (45.3%)
- 27th in TO% (19.1%)
Fifty-nine minutes played is a small sample size. However, the importance of Minnesota’s offense not knowing how to execute properly in late-game scenarios continues to plague them. The Wild are not only shooting ineffectively from the field, but they are lucky even to get a shot up. Turning the ball over on nearly one-fifth of their offensive possessions in clutch time.
During the 4:47 scoring drought to finish the game against Golden State, the Timberwolves shot an abysmal 0-9 from the field, 0-3 from three, and 0-2 at the free-throw line. They only turned the ball over once. Still, many possessions featured little to no rhythm and late shot clock prayers, effectively giving the Timberwolves a minimal chance of slinking away from the bay with a win.
Anthony Edwards cooled off immensely after hitting his three-pointer with 4:47 left. During that stint, he shot 0-6 from the field and 0-3, showcasing that he’s still far from becoming Minnesota’s heliocentric nucleus.
Chris Finch elected to ride the hot hand and play Nickeil Alexander-Walker over the reliable Mike Conley to close the game. That decision made sense at the moment, but it reflected how far Edwards still has to come to be the engine for Minnesota’s offense.
Edwards is one of the league’s best pure scorers. Still, Minnesota’s late-game offense needs proper on-court organization.
Chris Finch and the Timberwolves would love it if they didn’t always have to insert Conley into late-game situations to create ball movement and avoid over-relying on Edwards. Edwards has not taken enough of a leap to showcase that he is fine on his own in these crucial possessions.
Minnesota also has another pressing issue. The way defenses have extended pressure onto Edwards by putting two on the ball on ball screens and helping off Jaden McDaniels, Julius Randle, or Rudy Gobert puts Edwards creates another conundrum they must solve. The defensive help remains prevalent throughout the game but kicks into high gear late.
Edwards still needs to develop consistency to avoid the self-inflicted miscues they had in the Golden State game. Still, roster construction is an issue if their current vision has Edwards as a heliocentric offensive option moving forward. There needs to be a better balance to tidy up the late-game clutch-time offense.
Chris Finch has the right idea by rolling with whoever the best options are to finish the game. Sticking with Naz Reid for most of the fourth quarter instead of Julius Randle of Minnesota’s first matchup in Golden State after Randle had a rocky third quarter. That’s easier said than done, though. Finch still has to deal with the human aspect of the game and the risks of trying something else.
If the Wolves can do anything, it must put Edwards in the best situations for success.
He has done his part statistically, allotting the sixth-most clutch PTS with 44 scored on 14 of 34 field goals (46.4%) and 5 of 19 three-pointers (26.3%). However, his -37 in those minutes is an egregious outlier compared to his counterparts.
To succeed in the clutch, Minnesota must find more ways to give Edwards a platform for success. The offense often regresses into fight-or-flight mode when the structure is lacking or Conley is off the floor.
Forcing Edwards to become Superman can yield positive results, given he’s a uniquely talented scorer. However, it’s not a reliable option for the Timberwolves if they want to change their clutch-time fate.
