Questions raised after 'horrendous' Wolves lose at home to depleted Grizzlies

"Our offense cost us the game," head coach Chris Finch said.

Dec 17, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves forward Julius Randle (30) and Memphis Grizzlies guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (3) fight for a rebound in the second half at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images | Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images

The Timberwolves were without Anthony Edwards (foot) for a third straight game Wednesday night, but they still should've rolled a Memphis team that, as many have now quipped, had an injury report longer than a CVS receipt.

Ja Morant, Cam Spencer, John Konchar, Javon Small, Zach Edey, Ty Jerome, and Scotty Pippen Jr. were all out, but the Grizzlies found a way to win in Minneapolis 116-110.

There are a couple of logical ways to look at the loss.

Maybe it was a cold night for the Wolves, who 40% overall and 30% from three. They went ice-cold in the second half, missing 26 of 35 shots over the final 18+ minutes of the game.

Maybe it was a matchup anomaly. Without Edwards, the Wolves' top scorer was Julius Randle, but he was neutralized by one of the game's top defensive players, Jaren Jackson Jr.

Still, you'd expect the likes of Jaden McDaniels, Naz Reid, and Donte DiVincenzo to pick up the slack and not allow the Wolves to lose to the likes of Jock Landale and Jaylen Wells.

Outside of Rudy Gobert (6 of 8 shooting), nobody shot the ball well for Minnesota. Randle was 9 of 21; McDaniels was 4 of 11; DiVincenzo and Reid were both 6 of 16; and Bones Hyland was 3 of 11.

"Horrendous night offensively. Our offensive decision-making was awful all night, from shot selection to turnovers to execution. Yeah, it was just not very good," head coach Chris Finch said.

It was similar to what happened when the Wolves lost at home to the Suns on Dec. 8. In that game, Edwards played and scored 41 points on 15-of-21 shooting. Almost everyone else couldn't find water if they were in a boat. Randle had 21 points on 7-of-11 shooting, but McDaniels (1 of 7), DiVincenzo (1 of 7), Reid (2 of 12), and Mike Conley (0 of 5) shot a combined 4 of 31.

When healthy, the Wolves are clearly a high-end team that has gone to back-to-back Western Conference finals. If they were to lose Edwards for a lengthy stretch, they'd be in trouble no matter who else is on the roster. However, it's duds like games against Memphis and Phoenix that make one wonder if the supporting cast is good enough to help Edwards get Minnesota over the hump.

If it's not, then an aggressive pursuit for upgrades in the trade market needs to be seriously considered, perhaps even if it means losing McDaniels.

Up next: Wolves vs. Thunder, 8:30 p.m. CT Friday.