The Minnesota Timberwolves came up short after another late-game meltdown, this time in Game 5 of their first-round series against the Memphis Grizzlies. Chris Finch's squad was up by as many as 13 points in the fourth quarter until Ja Morant took over in crunch time. He scored 18 of his 30 points in the final frame and made the game-winning layup, which ultimately gave the Grizzlies a 111-109 victory and a 3-2 series lead.
It was another disappointing loss for the Timberwolves after previously blowing a 26-point lead (it was a 25-point lead in the second half) in Game 3 a few days ago, which handed them a 104-95 defeat. Without a doubt, having better clock management and learning how to protect the ball, especially in late-game situations, should be emphasized as the Timberwolves aim to bounce back in the upcoming elimination game.
Now that the momentum is back on the side of the Grizzlies, the Timberwolves must pull out all the stops to ensure they won't have another letdown and they will secure a crucial victory in Game 6 on their home floor. But before that, let's take a look at three Minnesota players who must be held accountable for the Game 5 loss.
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3 Timberwolves most to blame after disastrous Game 5 loss
3. Karl-Anthony Towns and the Timberwolves' frontcourt
Karl-Anthony Towns had a solid game overall with 28 points and 12 rebounds, but he has to take some blame for how things went down the stretch. After he shushed the Grizzlies' home crowd with the Timberwolves up 13 in the fourth quarter, things went in the gutter.
Towns had nine points and four rebounds in the final frame, but he had two turnovers and two fouls as well. He also shot just 2-of-6 from the field. There was also that disastrous shush, which surely fired up Memphis.
Plus, Towns and the rest of Minnesota's frontcourt failed to contain Brandon Clarke on the boards. Clarke racked up a whopping seven offensive rebounds in the fourth quarter alone. The Grizzlies scored 12 second-chance points in the quarter to save them.
Clarke pulled down more offensive rebounds in the fourth quarter than the Timberwolves gobbled up defensive rebounds. While Towns had three defensive boards in the frame, fellow big man Jarred Vanderbilt had zero in over six minutes of action. Anthony Edwards also put up a goose egg in this category in winning time. They got no help from anybody else.
The Grizzlies have been a dominant offensive rebounding team all season, so Minnesota must do a better job attacking the defensive glass to secure those boards.
2. Anthony Edwards
In addition to not rebounding well, Edwards had an overall night to forget, outside of his game-tying 3-pointer in the final seconds. Unfortunately, Edwards' bad gamble against Ja Morant allowed the Grizzlies star shake free for the game-winning attempt right after his own heroic shot.
Edwards had 22 points but shot 8-of-20 from the field and 3-of-9 from 3-point range. The Timberwolves youngster didn't grab a single defensive rebound or dish out a single assist all night. He also failed to record any steals or blocks while committing five fouls.
As one of Minnesota's main guys, Edwards is expected to carry a big portion of the load, which also covers areas outside of scoring. In terms of scoring, he also has to take better shots and try to be more efficient in order to not waste possessions for his team.
Ultimately, Edwards' failure to come up with the level of production that was expected from him in Game 5 definitely hurt the Timberwolves' chances of winning the game, especially since they only lost by a single possession.
A playmaker who has been struggling all series long is D'Angelo Russell. His best game came in Game 3 when he had 22 points, five rebounds, and eight assists. In Game 5, Russell managed 12 points, eight assists, and two rebounds in 38 minutes while shooting 4-of-10 from the field. Not to mention he also committed four turnovers and missed a go-ahead attempt in the final minute.
A former All-Star, Russell's level of talent can't be questioned. However, it's his consistency on the floor that can be problematic for the team at times. Like Edwards, much more is expected from a guy like him who has been known to be a capable scorer and playmaker ever since he came to the league.
Russell struggling and tallying pedestrian numbers, especially in a tightly contested series, doesn't help the Timberwolves' chances of winning this opening-round matchup. Game 6 will be a challenge for Russell as he tries to break out of his slump and come up with a better performance as the Timberwolves attempt to get back in this series and force a do-or-die Game 7.
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