The Texas back-to-back was fun, but in both matchups, a shorthanded Minnesota Timberwolves team was edged in the last few minutes of each game. Minnesota looked to get back on track in a slightly later than usual 8 PM CT tipoff against the Utah Jazz in the place that Rudy Gobert, Mike Conley, Joe Ingles, and Johnny Juzang called home.
Anthony Edwards and Rudy Gobert were both removed from the injury list and are expected to play in this one, while Naz Reid is listed as questionable after exiting the Spurs
game with a left shoulder injury on Saturday night. While they played well for stretches in each of the last two games, it is important that they get back to their winning ways that have been lacking since the calendar year flipped, as the West is always tight when it comes to the seeding race.
Minnesota got off to a fast start early and used transition and fast break opportunities to get in a rhythm early. The Jazz kept fighting back and would not go away; however, they kept coming at the Timberwolves despite an early double-digit disadvantage.
The Timberwolves took their foot off the gas in the 2nd quarter, after leading the way for much of the first. The Jazz went blow for blow with them in the second. Rudy Gobert defended the rim well to the tune of multiple blocks, but Minnesota struggled a lot elsewhere on that end of the floor. Keyonte George was on fire in the first half, scoring 23 points and making difficult shots look easy. Ant led the way for the Wolves with 17 of his own, but Utah took a slight edge heading into the final 24 minutes with a one-point lead.
Minnesota used its pressure to force more Jazz turnovers and get open looks with numbers in transition. While the Jazz offense stayed strong to start the frame, with their cutting and spacing. The Timberwolves held steady and started to knockdown threes in short order, going on a 15-4 run. Ant finished the quarter by going on a heater – bumping guys off of him to get to his spot in the mid range. After trailing by one at halftime, Minnesota dominated the frame to take a 12-point lead into the fourth quarter.
This is when it all fell apart. The Jazz got an injection in their offense by running the floor and finishing in transition. They kept getting shots before the Timberwolves were set up. In the half-court, they spread out the offense to attack the space and got easy lay-ins on backdoor cuts that seemed to catch the Wolves by surprise every time. Utah caught lightning in a bottle, shooting 17/25 from the field in the fourth quarter and putting up 43 points after being stagnant for much of the third. Utah threw its punch, and the Timberwolves never got back up. An Ant flurry at the end of the game gave them a glimmer of hope, but bricked shots sunk them in the end as they dropped an ugly one, 127-122.
Keynote George Career Night
Keynote George was incredible and helped carry the Jazz back to a victory in this one. He scored 43 points on 15/28 shooting, including 6/13 from three. It seemed as though he had an answer to any coverage that the Timberwolves threw at him. He had his spots that he wanted to get to, and he got to them and converted at a high clip. This was a career-high in points for him, and he hit some big shots, including a 3-pointer off of an offensive rebound that proved to be the dagger in this one.
Brutal 4th Quarter
After a third quarter that seemed like the Wolves were leaning on their “taking care of business” attitude that has been a big part of 2026, Minnesota completely lost themselves in the final 12 minutes. Being loose with the ball, giving the Jazz energy, and letting it snowball all came together in a culmination of the loss this evening. Utah snatched the energy and momentum and never gave it back.
Usually, we have seen the Timberwolves be able to compose themselves after a hard stretch, but the opposite happened in this one. It seemed like every shot was a prayer that ended in a clank while they gave up backdoor layup after backdoor layup on the other side of the floor. Tough pill to swallow after how they looked in the third quarter.
Up Next
The Timberwolves return home for the first of a three-game home stand, where they take on the Chicago Bulls on FanDuel Sports North. Tipoff is at 7 PM CT.
