Short-handed Wolves let opportunity slip away, come up one play short against Jazz

Donte DiVincenzo couldn't convert on a game-winning chance in the final seconds Friday night.

Minnesota Timberwolves center Naz Reid drives against Utah Jazz forward KJ Martin, front left, and center Walker Kessler during the second quarter at Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Feb. 28, 2025. | Rob Gray-Imagn Images

It all came down to the final possession.

With 9.7 seconds remaining, Donte DiVincenzo drove down the lane but got met at the rim by John Collins. DiVincenzo drew contact, but there was no call and his layup was well off the mark. The very short-handed Minnesota Timberwolves were handed a crushing 117-116 defeat to the struggling Utah Jazz at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City Friday night.

The Wolves (32-29) had their opportunities. While they had no answer for the Jazz (15-44) early on, Minnesota's offense was firing on all cylinders, too, and the Wolves were able to gain some separation, taking an 11-point lead into the half.

The start of the third quarter was where it all fell apart. The Jazz started the second half on a 27-4 run to turn their 11-point deficit into a 12-point lead over the Wolves. While Minnesota found its way back and even took a fourth-quarter lead, the ghastly start to the third quarter forced the team to dig itself out of a hole it never needed to be in.

The Wolves were severely short-handed without Anthony Edwards, who was serving a one-game suspension, Rudy Gobert, who remained out with a back injury, and Julius Randle, who remained out with a groin injury. But even with all that firepower on the sidelines, Minnesota showed it had plenty enough on the roster to take down the last-place Jazz.

Naz Reid scored a team-high 27 points and had 11 rebounds and five assists on a night the Wolves offense was humming with 35 assists on their 44 made shots. Jaden McDaniels had 20 points, 10 rebounds and five assists. Terrence Shannon Jr., making his first career start on a night Minnesota was in need of offense, had 17 points, five assists and four boards.

But on the flip side, without Gobert in the lineup, Collins and the Jazz feasted in the paint. Collins had a game-high 29 points and 12 rebounds, and the Jazz scored 60 points in the paint. They outrebounded the Wolves 59-40.

DiVincenzo was in his second game back after an extended injury absence due to a turf toe issue, and he built on his strong return Thursday night. DiVincenzo had 12 points, seven rebounds and five assists off the bench. He did, at times, struggle with his shot, shooting just 4 for 13 from the field, however that included a 4-for-10 mark from 3-point range.

While the Wolves had enough to come away with a win Friday night, the disastrous start to the third quarter spelled their demise. And one can't help but think how different things could have been had Edwards not picked up his 16th technical foul of the season Thursday night, which resulted in the one-game suspension that kept him out of the game in Utah.

Every game matters now in a tightly-contested Western Conference. The Wolves can't drop these games going forward.