As Kyle Kuzma nailed a 27-foot three pointer with 1:14 left in the game to give the Wizards their first lead of the night, the Wolves were left to reflect on a miserable capitulation after leading by 20 points earlier in the night, only to enter the All-Star Break on a loss.
The Wolves leapt out to a 30-10 lead in the first quarter and led by double digits multiple times in the game, only to be slowly reeled in by the Wizards slowly on the back of Bradley Beal’s strong second half and the Wolves inability to make easy shots.
Beal, who had just 14 points in the first half, drove the second half comeback for Washington, finishing the night with 35 points. The Wolves head into the All Star break in eighth place in the Western Conference after Thursday’s loss.
BRADLEY BEAL DAGGER 🗡️ https://t.co/XutchOfuuV
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) February 17, 2023
It’s the second consecutive game in which the Wolves had seen a 20-point-plus lead dwindle to just a few, though they were able to hang on to win against the Mavericks in Dallas earlier this week.
At Target Center Thursday night, the Wolves shot 54% in the first half but just 31% in the second, while the Wizards turned their 37% first half into a 56% second half performance.
MY GOODNESS. 😳
ANT CAN'T BE STOPPED. pic.twitter.com/weY1dDVS7y
— Minnesota Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) February 17, 2023
Rudy Gobert had another good game scoring 17 points and grabbing 19 rebounds. After finishing 9-9 in Monday’s win in Dallas, Gobert took the perfect streak to 15, making his first six shots of the game before having a layup swatted away by Kristaps Porzingis in the third quarter.
After a blistering start that saw him bag 18 points in the first quarter alone, Anthony Edwards couldn’t keep it going, ending with 34 points in total, with just 12 coming after halftime.
Next up for the Wolves is a week long All Star break and then a sprint to the end of the season with just 20 games left in the regular season, starting with the Charlotte Hornets on Feb. 24.
