The Timberwolves were without starting forward Jaden McDaniels on Wednesday, and Anthony Edwards’ shooting struggles continued.
Edwards went just 6-of-20 from the field and 1-of-8 from three, extending a rough four-game stretch in which he has made only 3-of-30 three-pointers (10%).
Even so, Minnesota managed to take control early against the struggling Wizards, thanks to major performances from Julius Randle and Naz Reid.
As Chris Hine of The Star Tribune notes, both forwards – who signed significant multiyear deals with the team in free agency – powered the Wolves to a 27-point lead by combining for 60 points and 15 rebounds.
But the win wasn’t as smooth as it initially appeared. Minnesota’s massive lead shrank to just five points in the fourth quarter before the Wolves finally closed out the game.
“We got lucky, to be honest,” Randle said afterward. “Really our edge and our activity and our aggressiveness – all that stuff, we kind of just left it in here at halftime. We’ve got to be better and more mature than that.”
Reid shared the same sentiment when asked if he was pleased with the result. He answered, “Yes and no.”
“Not like that,” Reid continued. “It’s still an NBA team. Obviously, I don’t want to just roll over them. But we still got to hold ourselves to a higher standard. We know better than to put ourselves in that situation.”
ICYMI: Timberwolves big men Julius Randle and Naz Reid led the team to a victory on Wednesday, plus more notes from Minnesota. https://t.co/PBlzdbTZ6X
— Hoops Rumors (@HoopsRumors) November 21, 2025
