The Washington Wizards saw their comeback efforts fall short on Wednesday in a 120-109 road loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves at Target Center.
The Wizards followed a similar script in the first quarter.
The Wiz Kids hung tough against a superior opponent, trading baskets and leads early. Cam Whitmore punctuated the quarter with a couple of And-1 finishes at the rim.
The game, as has also been usually scripted, unraveled in the second quarter. Washington failed to score a single point until the six-minute mark of the period, as a CJ McCollum finger roll mercifully put an end to a 16-o onslaught to start the second.
Turnovers, a familiar adversary in the Wizards’ season-long struggle, doomed D.C. in the first half. Washington committed 12 turnovers, leading to 20 Minnesota points, while failing to score a single point off the Timberwolves’ two turnovers. Naz Reid by himself outscored the Wiz 18-17 in the quarter to give the T-Wolves a 71-46 lead at the break.
Brian Keefe more than likely had a stirring message at halftime, as the Wizards came out motivated in the third quarter. They forced more turnovers (3) in the first couple of minutes of the third than they did in the entire first half (2). The post-break Wiz began the quarter on a 17-4 run to make it a ballgame.
Kyshawn George left his fingerprints all over the floor in the third. The second-year wing scored 12 points and dished out three assists in the period, closing out the quarter with an isolation fadeaway jumper to get Washington within 94-82.
The Wizards had a chance to get within three as George headed to the free-throw line with 3:52 left in the game. But Kyshawn missed both attempts, and Mike Conley Jr. hit a three-pointer to swing the game back the other way. The Timberwolves held on for the 11-point victory.
The glass-half-full take on the contest is that the Wizards refused to roll over. After falling behind by as many as 27 points, Washington could have coasted the rest of the way, but instead battled to make things interesting down the stretch. Nonetheless, the final result dealt Washington its 12th straight loss.
With no Alex Sarr in this one, George led the way with 23 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists. Bilal Coulibaly, Khris Middleton, and Whitmore each had 13, while Tre Johnson tacked on 10 points off the bench.
The Wizards continue their road trip on Friday against the surging Toronto Raptors.
