Minnesota Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch pointed to offensive rhythm and team energy as key concerns following a 115-96 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday at Target Center. “Yeah, I mean, we got to get our offense kind of going again… we had a lot of turnovers tonight,” Finch said after Minnesota dropped its third game in four outings.
The Timberwolves committed 20 turnovers and shot just 8-of-33 from three-point range while being held under 100 points for only the second time this season. “We got to get some kind of rhythm and speed to our offense… guys are not kind of included enough in the offense,” Finch said.
Los Angeles built control behind Kawhi Leonard’s 41 points and an 18-2 run late in the second quarter, exposing issues Finch believes stem from lost structure. “We’ve lost our structure on offense… early actions, our early pass pass kind of getting into the stuff that allows us to get a bit of a rhythm,” he said.
Finch emphasized that Minnesota’s pace has slowed, making it easier for defenses to crowd driving lanes and disrupt ball movement. “We’ve also lost pace which allows us to get to early early attacks, collapse the defense… our kickout game has got to be I think a little quicker,” he said.
Despite the offensive struggles, Finch saw positive stretches defensively early in the game before Leonard found consistent advantages. “Certainly start the game defensively we did some good things… obviously had a handful with Kawhi. Fouled him too much,” Finch said. “Then we got a little bit soft on him and he obviously had a big night.”
Anthony Edwards led Minnesota with 23 points, while Julius Randle added 17, but the Wolves’ supporting cast struggled to generate looks within the offense. “It’s the seven shots… those guys, you know, I’ve got to get them to 10 shots at least and we’ve got to be able to find the next play for those guys,” Finch said when discussing limited production from other starters.
The head coach also addressed defensive details beyond on-ball pressure, noting breakdowns away from the ball. “We’re not navigating screens the best… our low man presence at the rim is inconsistent,” Finch said. “We got to be better in all parts of it.”
Finch stressed that execution must improve before confidence returns, highlighting the connection between performance and team energy. “I’m a big believer you got to play well… you got to bring good energy… but you got to play well to prove it to yourself,” he said.
Newly acquired guard Ayo Dosunmu finished with 11 points and two steals in his Timberwolves debut, drawing encouragement from the coaching staff despite the loss. “I wanted to just get him as many minutes as I could… his debut for us was very, very encouraging,” Finch said.
Minnesota, currently sixth in the Western Conference standings, faces Atlanta next as it looks to rebuild momentum before the upcoming break. “We just got to stay positive… we know we’re a good team. We just got to get back to playing good basketball,” Finch said.
