Winners in five of their last six games, the Minnesota Timberwolves will hope for another balanced scoring effort on Wednesday when they face the plummeting Washington Wizards in Minneapolis.
Averaging 120.6 points per game, Minnesota’s 38.5% 3-point success rate ranks second in the Western Conference. The Timberwolves’ streaking offense is spearheaded by six scorers averaging double-digit points per game.
Minnesota continued to spread the wealth in its 120-96 victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Monday, as Naz Reid’s 22 points led six scorers who totaled at least 12.
Reid epitomizes the Timberwolves’ depth, as the 26-year-old is averaging 12.3 points and 6.1 rebounds per game in 14 games off the bench.
“I’ve been a part of this team for seven years now and coming off the bench for seven years,” Reid said. “I know what I have to do to get this group going. It’s kind of how I became who I am and how I became the sixth man. I know what it takes to lead. I’ve got a bunch of younger guys with me, so I’ve got to take over that leadership.”
Minnesota is still a star-led team in Anthony Edwards (25.9 ppg) and Julius Randle (24.5 ppg), but reserves like Reid and Jaylen Clark continue to turn the Timberwolves into a league-wide contender. In 19 minutes on Monday, Clark had five points and six rebounds — including four offensive boards.
“Jaylen just makes these plays out of nothing,” Minnesota head coach Chris Finch said. “He’s super handsy. He’s active on the glass. He can make shots in a timely manner, but mostly he just sets the tone. He gets a lot of loose balls, deflections and makes these momentum plays.”
Looking to keep its momentum going, it appears Minnesota is playing its next opponent at the right time.
The Wizards are one of two teams with just a single victory (the Indiana Pacers are 1-13), while Washington ranks last in the league in scoring defense (129.6 ppg) and average point differential (-16.7), entering play on the heels of an 11-game losing streak.
Washington is coming off a 23-point loss to the previously one-win Brooklyn Nets on Sunday. Ahead of a three-game road trip against teams with winning records (Minnesota, Toronto and Chicago), there’s no end in sight for the reeling Wizards.
“I think we’ve got to collectively look at ourselves. Look inward,” said Washington head coach Brian Keefe, who’s 27-107 since taking over as head coach in January 2024. “You have a good group of human beings, a good group of guys in our locker room. They’re disappointed. I know we all are. We’re all in this collectively, but this is not up to the standard that we’ve established in how we want to do things.”
Alex Sarr has served as a bright spot in his second season, leading the team with 18.3 points and 8.2 rebounds per contest. Fellow second-year player Kyshawn George chips in 16.9 ppg.
–Field Level Media
