Chris Finch delivered a blunt assessment after the Minnesota Timberwolves fell 111-85 to the Golden State Warriors on Sunday night at Target Center.
The loss marked Minnesota’s fifth straight defeat and its lowest scoring output in more than four years, coming in a game played under a somber atmosphere following a one-day postponement.
“Yeah, for sure,” Finch said when asked if turnovers set the tone. “There was a ghost of a performance by us just like never could really you know establish a rhythm.”
Minnesota committed 25 turnovers, including nine in the first quarter, which repeatedly fueled Golden State’s transition offense.
“I thought we started the game making a lot of the wrong decisions,” Finch said. “It led to sloppy turnovers. Didn’t get back.”
Despite trailing by just one point at halftime, Finch said the response never arrived. “I thought for sure we’d come out with more juice to start the third,” he said. “But it was just more of the same.”
Anthony Edwards and Donte DiVincenzo were the only Wolves to consistently score, with Edwards finishing with 32 points and 11 rebounds.
“Ant and Donte offensively found some flow in their games,” Finch said. “But looked like no one else could find a rhythm.”
Finch pointed to a lack of structure as a recurring issue. “We weren’t playing with enough like purpose, if you will, offensively,” he said. “Not a lot of structure.”
The head coach acknowledged the unusual backdrop surrounding the game but stopped short of using it as an explanation. “I have no idea,” Finch said. “Certainly you know the mood was off from the beginning.”
Julius Randle finished with 11 points, while Jaden McDaniels scored three, as the pair combined to shoot 4-for-19 from the floor.
“I thought maybe some indecision early on in the game,” Finch said of Randle. “Then he tried to play catch-up from that a little bit.”
Finch expressed concern about a pattern developing during the losing streak. “Seemingly we’re giving up one big quarter every game,” he said. “We’ve been giving up 40-point quarters.”
Golden State’s defense forced 20 steals and held Minnesota under 40 percent shooting, reinforcing Finch’s concerns on both ends.
“Our on ball compete and contain has not been consistently that good,” Finch said. “That’s where it all starts for me.”
With the trade deadline approaching, Finch acknowledged internal evaluation is underway. “We’re looking at everything right now,” he said. “We need to find ways to get some bench production.”
Minnesota will have little time to reset, with a rematch scheduled Monday night.
“We obviously have a tight turnaround,” Finch said. “There’s got to be some urgency to address some issues.”
