Minnesota Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch was upfront about the team's loss to the Phoenix Suns
The Minnesota Timberwolves may have one of the better records in the Western Conference, but the reality is they haven't beaten a quality opponent yet this season. In matchups against the Los Angeles Lakers, Denver Nuggets, and New York Knicks, the Timberwolves are 0-5 this season.
On Friday night, looking to build up momentum, they matched up against the Phoenix Suns, who've surprisingly looked playoff-caliber to begin the season.
With Jaden McDaniels healthy and the Suns without Grayson Allen and Jalen Green, it was the ideal opportunity for the Timberwolves to capitalize on a beat-up Suns team. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case, as the Timberwolves' third-quarter surge wasn't enough as they dropped a close 114-113 matchup to Phoenix.
Chris Finch Gets Honest On Team's Sixth Loss
A game many expected the Timberwolves to win, they simply couldn't execute down the stretch as Minnesota was up 111-104 with under two minutes remaining. After the game, head coach Chris Finch was honest and straight to the point about the team's inability to close out the Suns.
"We lost our minds. Poor execution. Turnovers, obviously, and just didn't stay locked in for the last 90 seconds," Finch said.
After Julius Randle pushed the lead to 111-104, the Timberwolves brought it up to 113-105 with less than a minute remaining, but it was all downhill from there. The Suns scored seven-straight points with the Timberwolves making three-straight turnovers, and Anthony Edwards ended up missing two late free throws to give Phoenix the ball back to win the game.
And so they did, as Collin Gillespie hit a floater over Donte DiVincenzo to give him 20 points, and Randle's game-winner was offline as the Suns completed the improbable comeback.
With Edwards having a strong night, he saw his fair share of double-teams, leading to five turnovers in the game. Finch was also asked about how the team prepares for situations like that.
"I mean, I thought he made some good reads, and we prepare for it all the time," he added.
Reality For The Timberwolves
Looking ahead for Minnesota, the expectation will be that they take care of business on Monday in their next contest against the Sacramento Kings, a team they're already 2-0 against this season, and is now without Domantas Sabonis. However, a lackluster performance against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday will only leave more questions.
It was certainly a bad loss, and it's up to Finch and this team to turn things around and try to secure a quality win in the coming contests.