Missing Gobert and Reid, Wolves Suffer Their Most Lopsided Loss Yet

Sunday night's game against the 76ers figured to be a somewhat unique challenge for the Timberwolves, who were without Rudy Gobert (suspension) and Naz Reid (shoulder). Things got even tougher when rookie center Joan Beringer, who was making his first career start, found himself in immediate foul trouble that limited him to just five minutes in the first half.

But what went down at Target Center cannot be blamed entirely on the absences of Gobert and Reid. After all, the Sixers didn't have Joel Embiid or Paul George, so this was a relatively even battle on paper. The Wolves simply didn't show up ready to play, and the end result was a 135-108 defeat that is Minnesota's most lopsided loss of the season thus far.

It's happened a few times in recent postseasons, but the last time the Timberwolves lost a regular season game by at least 27 points was in February 2023 in Denver. The last time that happened in Minneapolis was in February 2022, coincidentally also against Philadelphia. Final score aside, this wasn't the worst loss of the season for the Wolves, considering who they were missing. But it was another somewhat concerning reminder of their remarkable inconsistency.

The 76ers opened up a lead late in the first quarter, stretched it to 16 points early in the second, and then never gave it up. The Wolves hung around for a couple quarters but then saw Philadelphia pull away late in the third and bury them midway through the fourth. Minnesota's last lead of the night was 12-11 about five minutes into the game.

The key for Philly was outside shooting. The Sixers made 21 threes on 37 attempts, which is the most three-point makes the Wolves have allowed in a game this season. 18 of those came from the quartet of Tyrese Maxey, VJ Edgecombe, Quentin Grimes, and Kelly Oubre Jr., who combined to score 100 points, led by Maxey's 39.

Quentin Grimes | Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

"A lot of short closeouts," Timberwolves coach Chris Finch said afterwards. "We talked about the guys we needed to get up to, take away their airspace. ... We probably short closed 'em out at least a half a dozen times, if not more, in the first half alone. They made every single one that we short closed out on."

On the other side of the ball, the Wolves committed 21 turnovers. Seven of those came from Anthony Edwards, who had a fairly rough night despite 28 points and 9 rebounds. He was hounded by an aggressive Sixers defense throughout the evening.

"They were physical, they're good defensively, they're super handsy, they're active in the gaps," Finch said. "We fought the game. We went into traffic, we didn't get off the ball early enough. All the things that happen when you play in a crowd."

To be fair, Edwards was a -3 in his 34 minutes, which means the Wolves lost the 14 minutes where he sat by 24 points. Jaden McDaniels, Julius Randle, Ayo Dosunmu, and Bones Hyland were all a -20 or worse. Beringer was a -6 in 17 minutes before fouling out of the game.

With no Gobert or Reid, plus Beringer's foul trouble, Finch turned to several uniquely small lineups, including some that featured four guards alongside either Randle or McDaniels. Terrence Shannon Jr. and Mike Conley re-entered the location and combined to make one shot on six attempts. Rocco Zikarsky, the Wolves' rookie center who has spent almost all of the season in the G League, was active for this game, but he didn't play until making his NBA debut in garbage time.

The good news for the Wolves (who are now 35-23) is that the Nuggets, Lakers, and Suns also lost on Sunday, while the Rockets lost on Saturday. So Minnesota remains just one game back of No. 3 Denver in the West, and two games ahead of No. 7 Phoenix.

The Wolves have road games against the Trail Blazers, Clippers, and Nuggets this week.