Minnesota Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch addressed his team’s 109-87 loss to the Detroit Pistons on Saturday at the Target Center in Minneapolis. Finch highlighted the team’s shooting woes and the challenges posed by Detroit’s physical defense.
“Obviously, missed a lot of open threes early in the game and we really needed him to go down for a variety of reasons,” Finch said about Julius Randle. “Nine for 43 from the three-point line and a bunch of those were open, to be quite honest with you.” He acknowledged that the Pistons’ defense affected Minnesota’s rhythm but stressed that the Timberwolves also needed to connect on shots.
Finch noted the team struggled to maintain pace offensively. “Our offense kind of fed their transition game more than anything else,” he said, emphasizing that slow tempo contributed to Detroit scoring 60 points in the paint. He also discussed the effect of Minnesota missing key players. “Physicality that made it tough for Julius to get going… they were standing him up, putting their body on him.”
The coach pointed to Naz Reid’s performance as an example of shooting struggles impacting confidence. “He missed two wide open ones when he first got in the game… he was praying for something to go his way,” Finch explained. Despite defensive efforts, Finch admitted opportunities were missed. “We had plenty of stops, particularly early in the game… I thought there was more opportunities to get 50/50 balls off deflections and stuff like that.”
Finch also addressed lineup and rotation decisions. “Sometimes, when guys aren’t out there really producing, maybe it’s them that gets left out. We’re just trying to find anything that would click,” he said regarding Kyle Anderson’s limited minutes.
Saturday’s loss came as Minnesota played without Anthony Edwards, Jaden McDaniels, and Ayo Dosunmu due to injuries, while the Pistons were missing Cade Cunningham. Tobias Harris led Detroit with 18 points, while Jalen Duren contributed 10 points and 13 rebounds. Donte DiVincenzo scored 22 points for Minnesota, but the team shot just 32% from the field and 21% from three.
Finch concluded by reflecting on both the physical challenge and offensive execution. “They’re outstanding defensively, very physical… bad shooting games happen, but we need to find a way to create rhythm despite that.”
Minnesota will look to recover on Monday at Dallas, while Detroit heads to Oklahoma City.
