Chris Finch said before the game on Friday night against the Sacramento Kings that contests like these serve as the “true tests” of the Wolves early on in the season.
A game against a reeling Kings team hungry for its first win in four games would often be a letdown spot for a Wolves team that’s won five of their last six.
But the ghosts of Wolves’ past were not how they came out. With the ball moving early, they capitalized on open threes and were able to find their way into the paint, nearing a double-digit lead early in the quarter. From the start, it didn’t look like it would be incredibly close.
Frankly, I never really want to bag on officiating. I think it’s pretty weak and hides actual problems within the game. But in the first quarter, with the Wolves rolling, there were a few double standards of physicality allowed in the paint when the Wolves would attack the rim vs. when Sacramento would find their way into the lane.
Fighting through contact and not getting as many calls on the other end, it impacted the five on the floor, and the Kings closed the gap to a 28-24 game in the first quarter.
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From that point, it was a collective holding of breath at Target Center. This script has played out before; letting a poor stretch of play where the whistle isn’t going Minnesota’s way compounds all the way into bad shots, lack of ball movement, giving up on defense, and a snowball that leads to an arena full of tension and sighs.
For a while, that looked like the case. Russell Westbrook had 12 assists through the first half, and Domantas Sabonis had his way with 30 points through 2.5 quarters, killing the Wolves drop coverage and taking advantage of a lack of help defense on the backside, hitting wide open cutters.
Through much of it, the Wolves stayed alive while getting gashed on the defensive end. Jaden McDaniels, who started out 5-5 from the field, left the game three separate times for getting an elbow to the face, a knee to the sensitive area, and a slip on the floor that looked like a possible long-term knee injury (which thankfully it wasn’t); he was much needed, and the fans let him know about it.
With McDaniels being the main offensive contributor in the first half, the game was even heading into the locker room at the halfway point. Most notably, Anthony Edwards had just nine points and seemed to take a more passive approach early on.
Edwards came out and drew three fouls in the first four minutes of the second half; setting the tone for what would end up being a 21 point second half for him, en route to his fifth 30+ point game this season.
With the Kings on their heels, the Wolves capitalized. Donte DiVincenzo came up with massive energy plays, finishing his night with 20 points and a plus 17, and perhaps the shot that buried Sacramento with eight minutes left in the fourth.
There are always things that will be needed to be improved upon, but the Wolves are currently doing what they previously couldn’t; consistently beat bad teams and close them out when it matters, despite getting knocked back in the middle of games (with much of that having to do with the bench; more on that later).
How sustainable is it? We may not know for a little bit with better teams on the horizon. However, it’s time to see if this offensive rhythm this team has found is ready to hold up.
Nov 10, 2025; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch watches play against the Utah Jazz during the second quarter at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images Rob Gray-Imagn Images
Finch Calls Out the Bench
With another night of poor defense in the books, head coach Chris Finch had finally gotten to the point in his postgame press conference where it was time to say something.
“We need a little bit more juice from our bench,” Finch stated emphatically at the podium after the game. “I think [they’re] too focused on production and not focused on energy enough.”
Woof. After a 14 point win? At face value, it may seem a little harsh. But it’s not wrong.
The bench accounted for just 23 total points (with one of those being a Leonard Miller garbage time free throw). They were outscored again, and while Jaylen Clark and Mike Conley both finished with a positive plus minus, much of it was due to their shared time on the floor with a red hot starting unit; the leading scorer off of the bench in Naz Reid (12 points) was a net neutral at zero.
The defense continues to be a major issue with the Reid-Randle frontcourt, and an attempted backcourt pairing of Rob Dillingham and Donte DiVincenzo to pair with them in the second quarter was short lived after a couple of brutal defensive possessions.
Who specifically is Finch talking about in that scenario? I think there are a couple rock solid guesses based on a quick look at the box score, but the second unit continues to remain the biggest question for this team in facing stiffer competition. While Randle is putting together a career-best offensive season, it’s been quietly poor defensively, and unable to be a contributing factor to the second platoon with lackluster rebounding next to an already-struggling Reid in that category.
While Naz finished with 11 rebounds, a positive sign for him, it’s never been his strongsuit and will need to continue against teams that have a true backup big.
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA – NOVEMBER 14: Donte Divincenzo #0 of the Minnesota Timberwolves celebrates his three-point basket against the Sacramento Kings in the fourth quarter during an NBA Cup game at Target Center on November 14, 2025 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Timberwolves defeated the Kings 124-110. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images) Getty Images
1.) Donte DiVincenzo is looking every bit the part of the player that the Wolves wouldn’t complete the KAT trade without. Tied with Julius Randle for second most second-half points with 12, he finished the night shooting 50 percent from three and was an essential spark in the second half to lift the Wolves.
“I loved the way Donte played tonight,” Finch said afterward, highlighting all of the little things his starting “point guard” did to be the connective tissue the Wolves needed. He communicated defensively, kept pace in the game, and made massive shots when it mattered. If he keeps playing like this, paired with Anthony Edwards’ “lead guard” ability in initiating offense, the point guard DDV thing might just work out after all.
2.) I want to highlight the defensive issues a little bit more in the lack of backside help. Against a center like Sabonis (who was healthy this time around) that can hit floaters and make you pay from outside of three feet, the Kings were able to get Rudy Gobert out of position and vulnerable with little help behind him.
It would often start with Westbrook at the top of the arc, then moving off of a Sabonis screen. Engaging Rudy in drop, he would list out to the elbow and catch Gobert in no man’s land with a cutting Sabonis. The results spoke for themselves.
Other times, it would happen with Westbrook off the ball, and a cutting Sabonis would catch the backside help coming in late, with a diagonal cut form the elbows and being shot ready.
These are things that are happening defensively WITH Rudy out on the floor. Without him, it’s a similar result without the rim protecting threat of him out there at all. Whether blitzing screens and playing the high wall, or in drop with cutters, the help has to be faster, and it was a main reason that allowed Sabonis to have 30 points in the game midway through the third quarter.
They were able to tighten up later on, but with the next team that’s coming to town, you may not be able to take as many plays off against active cutters.
The Timberwolves will face their second back-to-back of the week and host the Denver Nuggets at Target Center. Denver is coming to Minneapolis for the second time this season, losing by 13 the first time around without Anthony Edwards.
It’ll be the Nuggets that are banged up this time around, as Anthony Edwards’ primary defensive matchup, Christian Braun, was ruled out for at least six weeks on Friday. How Denver defends Edwards will be extremely interesting to watch.
Tipoff is scheduled for Saturday at 7:00 PM CT.
