The Minnesota Timberwolves registered their first loss of the season in only their second game, falling at home 132-126 in overtime to the Utah Jazz.
Here’s four things were learned from the game:
1. KAT’s leg kickout issue
Another game and another night of foul trouble for Karl-Anthony Towns. The frustrating part is that Towns has been called for an illegal leg kickout on his 3-point attempts in back-to-back games. Whatever he’s trying to do, he’s not fooling the refs.
“Just be better. No excuses. Just be better. I don’t really know. In the flow of the game I’m just playing, I’m shooting. Just gotta be better,” Towns said.
Here’s his illegal move in the opener against the Thunder.
Finch on KAT’s leg kick that led to a foul and tech:
"We continue with conversations. Some things are just habits that you've got to break. In some ways, I'm not sure he even realizes he's doing it; it's such an ingrained habit."
KAT was called for this repeatedly last season. pic.twitter.com/PFxRkvUjyX
— Dane Moore (@DaneMooreNBA) October 20, 2022
2. No plan for Anthony Edwards in overtime
Edwards, who scored 30 points in regulation, took no shots in overtime. Head coach Chris Finch took the blame for that oversight.
“It’s on me. I have to get him the ball more,” Finch said. “We ran a couple things to get the ball in his hands. And then, again, the ball got sticky. We tried to play through KAT there. But he’s got to get some looks. That’s on me.”
Towns took seven of Minnesota’s eight shots and scored all six points in overtime.
“I ain’t trippin’,” Edwards said, according to The Athletic. “I’m cool. Put it in KAT’s hands. I trust him. He did the right thing. That’s going to be good.”
3. The late-game Rudy Gobert liability
As dominant as Gobert is for the majority of a game – he had 23 rebounds, including 10 offensive against the Jazz – his struggles at the free-throw line can turn him into a liability in late-game situations.
It’s exactly what plagued him during his time with Utah, and it reared its head Friday night as he missed two free throws with the Wolves trailing 128-126 in overtime.
What’s more is that he missed the free throws after missing what could’ve been an and-one dunk.
It might not be a bad idea for the Wolves to explore different lineup combination to avoid seeing Gobert at the free-throw line in crunch time. One option would be to go smaller with Kyle Anderson, who left last night’s game with back spasms. Anderson is 6’9”, a terrific defender and is a career 71% free-throw shooter. Not great, but better than Gobert’s 63.8% clip.
4. Giving up wide open shots
Two games and two times leading the entire NBA in wide open shots allowed. Minnesota gave Oklahoma City 47 wide open shots, which led the league on Wednesday night. They followed that up by allowing 33 wide open shots to the Jazz, which again led the league Friday night.
“I was joking around with the guys saying we’re the best, worst defensive team I’ve ever seen,” Gobert said after the game.
It’s funny now, but it needs to be fixed – and fast.
