Bulls 125, Wolves 123: The Night of Two Disappointing Fourth Quarters

Minnesota got their first look at Julius Randle in a Wolves jersey, as he posted 15 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists in his debut. The Wolves battled back from down 15 at the half to take a late lead, but couldn’t hang on for the victory.

Look, if you want to watch good, exciting, high IQ Minnesota basketball, this was not the game for you. Instead, you should’ve been watching the Minnesota Lynx play the New York Liberty in game three of the WNBA finals. Hopefully you only watched the fourth quarter.

This game started rough, continued rough, and had Wolves fans questioning how the Chicago Bulls are only ever a functional team when they play the Minnesota Timberwolves. After a loss to the New York Knicks on Sunday ended a nine game preseason winning streak dating back to 2023, the Wolves battled back in the fourth quarter only to lose again after a Terrance Shannon Jr. three-pointer and consecutive tip-in attempts from Josh Minott failed to drop.

There were good and bad moments in this game, but it was especially interesting to see how short Chris Finch’s rotation was in the first three periods. With just one more preseason game against the Nuggets left, it seems it’s time to tighten up and lock in for the regular season for the second best basketball team in Minnesota (even though both teams lost).

Let’s get to it!

PS. I want to mention that as a New York native, I am a Liberty fan. I may be a Wolves writer, but that won’t change. #LibsIn5

---

Photo by Jeff Haynes/NBAE via Getty Images

Why Not Josh Minott Continues to Impress

It seems like Minott’s impressive preseason has not been for nothing as the tweener forward managed to make the aforementioned shortened rotation. Minott was not only present in the first three quarters, but continued to produce off the bounce and in spot ups, including a step back three pointer to beat the third quarter buzzer.

Minott seems to have claimed any minutes rookie Terrance Shannon Jr. could’ve claimed in his first year and has started to eat away at the need for veteran Joe Ingles as well. The Lawnmower always had a “just-do-something”-iveness to him, but his ability to play more in control as a supplemental wing will be massive for a team needing real size off the bench.

It seems the third-year player will likely play most of the time at the three, but any ability to soak up minutes to keep Naz Reid, Jaden McDaniels, and Julius Randle from being the solitary options at their positions is massive.

The Wolves’ depth has been much lauded since the Karl-Anthony Towns trade brought back bench stud Donte DiVincenzo and retained the reigning Sixth Man of the Year Naz Reid, but that depth has always depended on a rookie Rob Dillingham and a forward putting the small in small forward in Nickeil Alexander-Walker. Minott’s arrival changes that. It’s also great to see a player get their chance and take it to the moon.

Big shout out to Jonathan Tjarks, who believed in him more than anyone.

Photo by Jeff Haynes/NBAE via Getty Images

Backup Center is a Need

I am a top three Luka Garza guy in the Wolves fandom, including a profile piece I wrote on him just about 18 months ago, but it’s time to trust the eye test. The man is a monster in moments, and is far too good to be in the G-League. He is also, unfortunately, too slow-footed and too much of a defensive liability to be depended on for anything more than spot minutes.

Many will point to Naz Reid as the backup five, or point to small ball five Julius Randle, but I’m here to say that some sort of innings eater at the backup center spot could and should be worth a look. The Magic employ all of Jonathan Isaac, Goga Bidatze, and Mo Wagner as reserve center roles to keep their incredible rotation of big men next to Paolo Banchero ready.

The Wolves should look to do something similar.

Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images

Welcome Back Lonzo Ball!

Do you know how long 1,006 days are? Last time Lonzo Ball played an NBA game, Rudy Gobert was still on the Jazz. Sachin Gupta was the general manager. Jake Layman was on the roster. Jake Layman folks!

It was great to see the former number two overall pick finally return to the basketball court and it was cool to see him return to form.

Before we get to anything about the player, it’s worth noting how unlikely it was for Ball to return whatsoever. The man got an experimental surgery that took cartilage from a dead body and implanted it in his knee to return function to the joint. This is not a typical procedure and was one of three attempted surgeries to heal the same condition that ruined the career of former Timberwolf and personal favorite Brandon Roy.

With how many guards the Bulls have, it’s uncertain how much of a role Ball will play. But, just for tonight, maybe we can enjoy the simple amazement that he’s back.

Photo by Jeff Haynes/NBAE via Getty Images

The Seatbelt is Clicking

Jaden McDaniels is tasked with improving to a massive degree as a shot creator and scorer this season. With the trade of Towns, we have left the world of available touches and entered the more uncertain world of necessary production. For Minnesota to succeed, Jaden McDaniels needs to be more than just an attacker off of close-outs.

The early returns have been up and down, but the recent returns have been great. Four days ago, he scored 17 points on 6/8 shooting, including five free throw attempts. Tonight, he had 12 points on 4/6 shooting and hit both of his triples.

The most impressive development, however, has been McDaniels’ passing. He had five assists tonight, including some well thrown lobs to Rudy Gobert. Any added playmaking and scoring and exciting to see from a player that has been showing glimpses for years, but considering the importance those glimpses now carry, this has been an exciting change.

---

Game Highlights

---

Box Score

---

Up Next

The Timberwolves end their preseason schedule as they return home to play against the Denver Nuggets on Thursday, October 17th at 7:00PM CT. This will be their final preseason matchup of the year before they play the Los Angeles Lakers in their regular season opener on Tuesday, October 22nd.