Finch, Gobert Call Out Wolves' Effort After Loss to Lakers

The Wolves suffered their 12th double-digit loss of the season in Tuesday night's 120-106 defeat at the hands of the Lakers. That's more than either of the previous two seasons (nine last season, ten two years ago) and there are still 17 games left to play.

While big losses happen, it was the latest example in a series of low-energy efforts this season.

"Yeah, we just started the game sluggish, which was my concern," said head coach Chris Finch following the loss. "You know, against the defense that they load so heavily, we wanted more pace early, wanted more quicker decision-making early. We just kind of fell into a lot of iso-basketball, and then everything was just a beat late. We're very out of rhythm offensively right now, and we've got to fix that."

Neither team shot the ball well in the opening half of the game. The Lakers shot just 36.5% from the field in the first half, including a truly dismal 3-for-22 from three. However, their energy to scoop up offensive boards — 11 in the first half — kept them in the game and had the score knotted at 45-45.

"Yeah, from the beginning they probably just played with more energy than us, for sure," Rudy Gobert said when asked about the lack of energy from Minnesota. "They had 11 offensive rebounds early in the second quarter. Yeah, they definitely outplayed us from an energy standpoint."

Gobert added that the Lakers "wanted it" more than the Timberwolves in the first half, and while the shots weren't falling, their ability to scoop up offensive rebounds gave them confidence going into the second half.

That showed up on the scoresheet as the Lakers shot 63.4% from the field in the second half, including 8-for-16 from three, as they pulled away from the Wolves. The third quarter in particular saw Los Angeles really grab hold of the game and not let up, outscoring Minnesota 39-23.

Finch took the blame for the third-quarter woes, saying he took Gobert out in an attempt to spark some offensive rhythm. Rudy played just over three minutes in the third quarter.

AUSTIN REAVES ANOTHER 4-POINT PLAY 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

pic.twitter.com/MRLQNiNX1n
— LakeShowYo (@LakeShowYo) March 11, 2026

For Minnesota, it was the second straight game where the offense really struggled. Coming off a game in which they failed to break 100 points and shot 35.7% from the field in a 27-point blowout loss to the Magic on Saturday, there was an expectation of a bounce-back performance. That didn't happen, as Minnesota struggled to break down the Lakes' zone-heavy defense, oftentimes relying too heavily on hero ball.

"I think there's things we can do to adjust," Julius Randle said when asked about the over-reliance on isolation. "You know, they were switching a lot and slowing us out of our sets. They want to force us to play isolation. So, we just got to do a better job of executing our actions."

Finch broke the team's offensive struggles down to guys trying "to get themselves going" and not playing within the game plan. He added the Wolves are at their best when Anthony Edwards and Randle are the "catalysts for good ball movement."

Edwards had a truly dismal night, scoring just 14 points on 2-of-15 shooting (he also made 9 free throws). The only other time this season Edwards has finished a game with only two made shots was when he left an early-season game against Indiana after just three minutes due to injury.

Anthony Edwards | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

When asked about how to get the offense going, Gobert said they just need to play with "flow."

"Run, try to trust the game plan that the coaches give us," continued Gobert. "Run our actions. Run our plays. Give that a chance, and see how that goes. ... It's where there's a lot of growth for us. Just try to let the game flow and do it together."

The loss was an incredibly disappointing way to start a stretch of ten games that could make or break the Wolves' chances of success in the playoffs. Including the loss to the Lakers, nine of the ten games feature opponents currently in playoff positions.

"We got no time to sit here and sulk and pout about not playing well," said Randle. "We got to prepare our body and our minds to get ready for tomorrow."

Minnesota is back in action late Wednesday night when they take on the Los Angeles Clippers. Tip-off is set for 9:30 p.m. CT at the Clippers' Intuit Dome. With the Nuggets playing the Rockets on Wednesday, the Wolves could find themselves anywhere from the No. 3 seed to No. 6 on Thursday.

"It's an emergency when we have (these) types of games and what they mean for us, and for putting ourselves in a better position when it comes to the playoffs," said Gobert. "To try to achieve our goal of winning a championship, it's got to be more. It's all of us. It doesn't start at game time. It starts the day before. It starts on your daily approach, everything we do, on the court and off the court."