With under a minute left in the third quarter, Terrence Shannon Jr. gathered the ball on the Wolves end of the floor and began a three-on-one fastbreak down 12 points.
With Julius Randle or the rim as his options, he dropped it off behind him to Bones Hyland, who had zero Detroit Pistons players within 15 feet of him on the right wing. Slowing down, he took a dribble, and hoisted an important three that would cut the lead to single digits.
Bonk.
Front rim.
For a Timberwolves team 30% from the field and
23% from three at the end of the third quarter, it was a perfect encapsulation of a game that went wayward offensively from the start.
For much of the game, the Wolves were actually getting pretty good looks from behind the arc. Wide open threes from the wing for Naz Reid, Bones Hyland, Donte DiVincenzo, and even Julius Randle. The problem is, they fell at such a measly rate that Detroit was able to turn them into points at a high rate.
The Pistons outscored the Wolves on 21-10 on the fastbreak, the main source of being able to build their lead in second half.
Despite the Wolves having just a five point halftime deficit, the unraveling came in the aforementioned latter half for Minnesota. The Pistons were able to dismantle the Wolves offense slowly by taking Julius Randle away as their playmaking hub. With a similar approach to Naz Reid as well, Detroit doubled the primary passers in the Wolves offense late with their back to the basket, and forced them to make quick decisions. Reid and Randle would combine for seven turnovers, and combine for 5-28 from the field.
No clearer realization than Saturday as to how bad the Wolves need their three rotation players injured back in the fold.
The good news? They might be getting them back shortly.
Up Next
The Wolves will have a travel day on Sunday and head down for a Monday evening clash with Cooper Flagg and the Dallas Mavericks. Over his last eight games, Flagg has averaged 23.8 points, 6.8 assists and 6 rebounds, making a late push for Rookie of the Year.
With the slew of injuries the Wolves have taken on, it would be fair to assume at least one of Ayo Dosunmu or Anthony Edwards will be back in the fold.
Tipoff is at 7:30 PM CST.
