Copyright startribune
For five games, the Timberwolves defense hasn’t been what they or fans have been accustomed to seeing. But Wednesday night, after erasing a 20-point Lakers lead in the second half, all the Wolves needed was one stop while up by one with 10.2 seconds to play. They couldn’t get it. Austin Reaves hit a 12-foot floater in the lane as time expired to give the shorthanded Lakers, who were without Luka Doncic, LeBron James and multiple other contributors, a 116-115 win over the Wolves. Julius Randle had given the Wolves the lead with a driving layup on the previous possession, but Reaves got loose in the middle of the floor for the final shot as he finished with 28 points and 16 assists. Wolves coach Chris Finch had a “mea culpa” afterwards by saying the Wolves should have had a switching defense on for the final play instead of a drop coverage. “It’s on me, I should have had Rudy just switch,” Finch said. “We got split in coverage, and we should have just blacked it and just switched it and just kept everybody in front.” Again, the Wolves defense looked little like it has the last few seasons in allowing the Lakers to shoot 54%. Jake LaRavia torched them for 27 points, 17 in the third quarter. “It’s on us as players,” Randle said of the defense. “We gotta go out and execute and we’re just not doing it, for whatever reason. But I have faith in our group. I know we will do it. We just gotta stick together. We can’t point the finger. Just stay together.” Finch struck a more positive tone about his defense than he did Monday, when he said he was concerned the Wolves weren’t forming a defensive identity.
