jilibay NBA: Minnesota Timberwolves lament lifeless starts to games

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Jan 9, 2025; Orlando, Florida, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards (5) reacts after scoring during the second half of an NBA game against the Orlando Magic at Kia Center. Mandatory Credit: Mike Watters-Imagn Images

MINNEAPOLIS — The misses by Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves kept coming, jumpers from everywhere on the court that bounced off the rim while the dutiful crowd stayed standing for the first 4:27 of the game until the home team finally scored and the fans took a seat.

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The buzz around the matchup with one of the NBA ‘s most popular teams had been repressed, not unlike the first half of this surprisingly laborious season for the Timberwolves coming off their breakthrough last spring that landed them in the Western Conference finals.

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READ: NBA: Anthony Edwards calls Timberwolves ‘soft’ amid losing streak

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Though their spirited rally from a 24-point deficit to forge a late tie in a 116-115 loss to the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday night suggested they’re not far from finding their groove, the awful start doomed them to defeat against a team they’ll be competing with for playoff — or play-in — spots in a clump of eight clubs currently separated by three games from fifth place to 12th.

Edwards didn’t need to think about his answer when asked afterward what the Timberwolves most need to improve upon during the second half of their schedule.

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“It would be two things: Boxing out and the start of games,” Edwards said. “The starting five, we are terrible. Every game, we come out low energy and the second group comes in and gives us energy.”

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Minnesota Timberwolves forward Julius Randle (30) and guard Anthony Edwards (5) celebrate after scoring during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Sacramento Kings, Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Ellen Schmidt)

The Timberwolves are actually ninth in the league in average point differential in the first quarter, according to Sportradar, but their start against a reeling Warriors team was not an anomaly.

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The more poignant data at the 40-game mark for the Timberwolves (21-19) might well be the NBA’s fourth-worst rebounding differential in the first quarter compared to 14th overall for the entire game. Hitting the boards, as Edwards alluded to, is mostly a mindset.

READ: NBA: Ja Morant wins it for Grizzlies over Timberwolves

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“We’ve just got to take pride in boxing our own man out. We know that. They get on us every day in film about boxing out. That’s literally one of our kryptonites,” Edwards said. “We don’t box out as a group, and when we do, it’s not physical enough, not tough enough.”

Compounding the problem is the 7-foot-1 man in the middle, Rudy Gobert, who reliably makes the effort to box out but struggles to consistently secure the contested balls despite his height advantage.

“Rudy’s got to go get the ball in the air. I think he’s trying to play a hand-to-hand combat game,” coach Chris Finch said, “and he gets tied up too much doing that.”

Gobert acknowledged as much.

“Rebounding is a science. It’s about reading what’s happening, trying to figure out how the game is being called,” Gobert said. “He’s right: Just go get it. For me, when I overthink, that’s when I miss on the timing.”

The integration of Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo into the rotation following the trade that sent franchise cornerstone Karl-Anthony Towns to the New York Knicks has predictably brought some bumps. While Randle and the Timberwolves are continuing to try to find their way with each other, DiVincenzo’s recent elevation to the starting lineup has provided a palpable spark.

DiVincenzo, who had a season-best 28 points against the Warriors and a season-high-matching nine assists, has a high-energy playing style that the starting five — as Edwards lamented — badly needed.

“He’s playing incredible, man. He’s playing how he was playing in the playoffs last year, just ultimate confidence,” Edwards said. “Crashing, skying over people, getting rebounds.”

DiVincenzo has meshed well with Edwards. Their second-half success against the Warriors made the mood in the locker room remarkably sunny, despite the bad start and ultimate defeat.

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“I think the biggest thingjilibay, or the most enjoyable thing about Ant is you can feel how much energy he gives me, how much confidence he gives me, and it’s right back to him,” DiVincenzo said. “I think that is starting to go in the right direction, but we have to build on it.”

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