Blazers Fight Hard, But Fall to Wolves Without Deni Avdija

The Portland Trail Blazers are getting the short end of the stick after losing 124-121 to the Minnesota Timberwolves inside the Moda Center.

The Blazers were competitive with the Blues throughout most of the game, despite not having Deni Avdija in the lineup due to a back injury. They did not have enough in the tank in the fourth quarter, which led to the loss.

Blazers Can't Get It Done vs. Wolves

Minnesota Timberwolves guard Terrence Shannon Jr. dribbles against Portland Trail Blazers guard Scoot Henderson. | Soobum Im-Imagn Images

The Blazers were led in scoring by Jrue Holladay, who had a team-high 22 points on 9-of-17 shooting from the floor. Jerami Grant was right behind him with 21 points on an inefficient 3-of-11 shooting, but he made 13 of his 15 shots from the free throw line.

Kris Murray joined them in double figures, starting for the injured Avdia. He had 16 points on 7-of-10 shooting. Toumani Camara and Donovan Clingan each had 11 points, while the latter had 16 rebounds for the team's only double-double.

Point guard Scoot Henderson had 19 points off the bench on 7-of-18 shooting, while Matisse Thybulle also scored in double figures with 10 of his own.

The Wolves had a strong showing from Anthony Edwards, who led all scorers with 34 points. Jaden McDaniels was right behind him with 29 on 12-of-16 shooting. He made 5 of 6 threes from distance, while Dante DiVincenzo had 19 of his own. Julius Randle added 13, while Rudy Gobert had a double-double with 10 points and 19 rebounds.

Edwards, McDaniels, and DiVincenzo each made five 3-pointers, which fueled the Wolves' offense and ultimately led them to victory.

It was a tough loss for the Blazers, who were playing hard for 48 minutes. That's sometimes all you can ask for from a team like Portland, who came into the game as a massive underdog. It's definitely a lot better than how they performed against the Wolves less than two weeks ago, but they still have some work to do as they try to get closer towards becoming a postseason team.

The Blazers will return to the court on Thursday when they travel to the Windy City to face off against the Chicago Bulls for the start of a five-game road trip to the east coast. Tip-off is scheduled for 5:00 p.m. PT inside the United Center in Chicago. Fans can watch the game on Rip City Sports Network or stream it on NBA League Pass.