SAN ANTONIO — A long time ago, in a playoffs far, far away, the underdog Minnesota Timberwolves were facing elimination against the Memphis Grizzlies. They were letting yet another lead slip away in Game 6 of that 2022 first-round series, causing coach Chris Finch to do something drastic.
He benched starting point guard D’Angelo Russell, one of the highest-profile players on the roster, in the fourth quarter for Jordan McLaughlin, an act of desperation as the Wolves’ season was slipping away. The move was not enough to jumpstart the Wolves, who saw their season end.
Four years later, the Timberwolves are right on the brink again, and Finch may have to think of making another dramatic change to hold off Victor Wembanyama and the relentless San Antonio Spurs. The Wolves fell, 126-97, in Game 5 on Tuesday night, putting the Spurs ahead 3-2 in the Western Conference semifinal series.
So many things went wrong for Minnesota, including a lack of attention to the game plan. First and foremost, though, was another putrid start to the game, which has been a recurring issue in this series. The Wolves trailed by 15 points before the first quarter was halfway over, digging themselves another huge hole. As they prepare for a do-or-die Game 6 at Target Center on Friday night, the starting lineup’s poor performance leads one to wonder if something has to give.
The Wolves were down 17-10 early in Game 1 (a game they came back to win), scored just 17 points in the first quarter of a Game 2 blowout loss and were down 14-1 less than seven minutes into Game 3. A determined Wembanyama came off a game in which he played only 12 minutes due to his ejection for elbowing Naz Reid, and destroyed the Wolves in his first shift, putting up 16 points and five rebounds to push the Spurs out to a 24-9 lead.
The Wolves could not hit a shot or keep the ball out of the net during that dizzying start, and it haunted them even after they came all the way back to tie it in the third quarter. Something just seems to be missing at the beginning of these games, and the Timberwolves cannot afford to fall behind so big again on Friday night.
The group of Ayo Dosunmu, Anthony Edwards, Jaden McDaniels, Julius Randle and Rudy Gobert has started the last two games, and it has not been pretty. In Game 4, that group had a net rating of minus-12.1 points per 100 possessions in 33 minutes, despite a good portion of those coming without Wembanyama on the floor. Then came Game 5, in which they had no answers for Wembanyama in the opening quarter.
“Got to hit some shots, but better offensive decisions,” Finch said of what has not been working in the first quarters. “I think some of our shot selection in the first quarter in particular is a little iffy. I think there’s some better shots. We have to work a little harder to find some better shots early.”
Finch already made one change to the group. Mike Conley started the first three games at point guard, in part because Dosunmu was still working through a calf issue. By Game 3, Conley played just four minutes, and Dosunmu replaced him in the starting lineup for Game 4. But the bigger issue facing the Wolves right now is in the frontcourt.
Randle scored 17 points on 6-of-17 shooting in Game 5, missing all four of his 3-pointers, and a couple of free throws for good measure. He is shooting 36 percent in the series and has 18 turnovers and only nine assists, a far cry from his stellar play in the first two rounds of the playoffs last season. His shooting struggles in the series have allowed the Spurs to throw even more of their attention toward taking Edwards out of the game.
Edwards only took five shots in the first half of Game 5, with San Antonio aggressively trapping him as soon as he crossed half court and forcing the ball out of his hands. The Wolves were not able to make the Spurs pay enough to get them out of the approach, leading to a quiet night from Edwards — 20 points on 6-of-13 shooting with two rebounds and four turnovers, a far cry from his Mother’s Day heroics.
“Ant Man is on one leg. Your best player, and is putting forth effort in this series,” former star Tracy McGrady said on NBC’s halftime show. “You’re the next guy up, Julius Randle. What are you going to do about that? How are you going to help your teammate, your superstar player?”
Randle was 2 of 12 with eight points through the first three quarters when the game was still up for grabs.
“I feel like we’re getting some good shots at the start of the game, but I think it’s that and getting some stops,” Randle said. “Wemby’s super aggressive to start games, so slowing him down a little bit, too.”
Gobert had his worst game of the series, with nearly as many missed layups (three) as points (four) and only five rebounds. He couldn’t do anything with Wembanyama in that first quarter, though he did assert himself more as the game went on. He was only charged with one turnover but had several other fumbles that short-circuited possessions. His limitations as a shooter and finisher give Wembanyama the freedom to roam all over the half court on defense and take away drives that would normally be there.
McDaniels, the breakout star from the first-round win over the Denver Nuggets, had another game in which his impact was limited by foul trouble. He scored 17 points on 6-of-13 shooting but did not get to 30 minutes, an unconscionably low number for what the Timberwolves need from him. Worse than the number of fouls were the decisions he made on a few plays, including a foul 90 feet from the basket and another when he fouled Julian Champagnie on a 3-pointer.
“I think everything starts with Jaden McDaniels,” Edwards said. “Trying to keep him out of foul trouble. He’s so important to the team. He’s so important to us. It hurts everybody when he gets in foul trouble.”
That is three of the five starters who played poorly against a 62-win team on its home court. That just will not get it done. But each alternative has its own set of issues as well.
Finch could put Reid in for Gobert and go small to draw Wembanyama out of the paint. Reid has played well in the series, and his ability to handle on the perimeter, get to the basket and shoot the 3 are big parts of the Wolves’ identity.
The coach has gradually started inching his rotations in that direction anyway, pairing Randle and Reid together more when Wembanyama is on the floor and then using Gobert as the counter when Luke Kornet takes Wemby’s place. Gobert played only 22:38 on Tuesday night, a sign of his diminished value in this matchup, which runs counter to his superb performance against Nikola Jokić and Denver in the first round.
More of the issues for Gobert have been on offense, but he was on the floor for much of Wembanyama’s mammoth first quarter. He made an impact in the third quarter when the Wolves came back from a 12-point halftime deficit to tie the game. Then San Antonio closed the third quarter with a 30-12 run to remove any doubt.
Taking Gobert out compromises the Timberwolves’ defense significantly, making the Wolves vulnerable to rim attacks and offensive rebounds.
Finch could put Reid in for Randle; lineups with Reid and Gobert and no Randle during the regular season were plus-3.5 points per 100, per Cleaning the Glass. But Randle is a prideful player, and a move to the second unit would likely be considered a demotion in his eyes. It would also take away the team’s assists leader during the regular season, putting more pressure on Edwards to drive the offense, even if Randle’s playmaking has dried up against San Antonio’s determined defense.
One could argue that the Wolves would benefit defensively from that switch as well, but Finch did not think Randle was an issue on defense in Game 5.
“I don’t think there’s a ton of breakdowns around Julius’ defense right now,” Finch said. “I think it’s a combination of a lot of different things.”
Finch could put Jaylen Clark back in the rotation to help out with the defense, but that would sacrifice offense on a team that has failed to crack 100 points twice in this series. He could also give Bones Hyland another shot at jumpstarting the offense, though the Spurs’ physical, oversized guards would no doubt target him on defense the way they did earlier in the series. Kyle Anderson could help with playmaking and defense, but his shooting shortcomings would give Wembanyama free rein.
The age-old adjustment of “just play better” may be the best alternative for the Wolves. Randle has to hit shots. McDaniels has to stay out of foul trouble. Gobert has to be active on the glass and somewhat reliable on offense around the rim. Those are all attainable, but one issue looms over this whole thing.
Coaches and players spoke after the game about the Wolves making game-plan mistakes that led to the Spurs’ big runs in the first and third quarters. They missed assignments, botched scouting reports and freelanced at the wrong times to create advantages for San Antonio.
“It’s a little bit everything — not knowing the game plan, executing on offense,” Edwards said. “We know they’re gonna come out to be physical defensively. We know how to go against that. And then us defensively, we know our coverage, what we’re supposed to be doing when they’re in pick-and-roll, and I think we’re just not doing it enough.”
This gets to a basketball I.Q. question that has plagued the Wolves for years. Their decision-making and discipline have often been poor, and it’s being exposed by a younger team playing much smarter basketball. The Spurs understand their assignments, adhere to the game plan and have, in totality, executed much better over the course of this series. That gives them more hope for repeatable, sustainable success.
The Wolves, meanwhile, have to lean on their considerable experience. They were down 3-2 to the Nuggets in the second round in 2024 after giving up 40 points and 13 rebounds to Jokić in a Game 5 road wipeout. Then they went home, waxed the Nuggets by 45 in Game 6 and won in Denver in Game 7 to advance to the West finals.
“We know what we gotta do,” Reid said. “We know the situation we’re in. We’ve been in this situation before. It’s no time to panic. This is when you keep calm and play our brand of basketball.”
Wembanyama and the Spurs look far more imposing than Jokić and those Nuggets did two years ago. That will make this comeback even more impressive, according to Edwards.
“I don’t see nobody in the locker room that’s too worried,” Edwards said. “At the end of the day, man, it’s another basketball game. So you come out, put your boots on and get ready to go to war.”