Naz Reid Calls for Better Starts After Timberwolves' Blowout Loss

The Minnesota Timberwolves closed out 2025 in ugly fashion with a 126-102 loss to the Atlanta Hawks on New Year's Eve, and reserve big man Naz Reid did not hold back when addressing the team's struggles after the game.

"We gotta be better on both sides of the ball, from the tip," Reid said.

The Timberwolves (21-13) came into the game as heavy favorites against a Hawks squad that had lost seven straight, but Minnesota came out flat and never found their footing.

The Hawks (16-19) outscored the Wolves 37-23 in the second quarter to take a 70-49 halftime lead, and the game was never close after that.

Wolves assistant coach Micah Nori called it "probably the worst half of basketball in five years since we've been here," which shows just how bad things got in Atlanta.

Head coach Chris Finch told reporters postgame that his team "looked slow everywhere," and the numbers back that up.

Atlanta grabbed 16 offensive rebounds and racked up 64 points in the paint compared to Minnesota's 36, which made it clear that the Wolves were getting outworked on both ends of the floor.

Reid had a rough night himself, finishing as a minus-23 in 22 minutes off the bench as the Timberwolves' reserves combined for just 11 points on 3-23 shooting before garbage time kicked in.

It was a far cry from his season-high 33-point performance against the Bulls just two days earlier, and it showed how much the team depends on Reid having a good game for the bench to make an impact.

On the season, Reid is averaging 14.0 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per game while shooting 36.6 percent from three-point range.

He had been playing well throughout December with averages of 16.2 points and 7.1 rebounds for the month, and his strong play has kept him in the Sixth Man of the Year conversation alongside former teammate Nickeil Alexander-Walker, who scored 11 points for Atlanta in his first game against his old team.

Jalen Johnson led the Hawks with 34 points, 10 rebounds, and six assists while Kristaps Porzingis added 16 points off the bench in his return from illness.

For Minnesota, Anthony Edwards scored 30 points but no other Wolves player besides Julius Randle (19 points) reached double figures.

The lack of depth was clear, and it has been an ongoing problem for a team that ranks 26th in bench scoring and 29th in bench field goal percentage.

Edwards reportedly threw his towel and left the floor after Minnesota's starters were pulled with eight minutes left in the blowout, which led Finch to say that while Edwards was "obviously frustrated with the performance and rightfully so, he needs to stay out on the floor and root for his team."

The loss gave Minnesota their third defeat in four games, and the team now heads to Miami to take on the Heat as they look to start 2026 on a better note.

Reid's message was simple and direct, and the Timberwolves will need to take it to heart if they want to avoid more performances like the one they put together in Atlanta.

Minnesota still sits in sixth place in the Western Conference with plenty of season left to play, but the inconsistency has been a problem that keeps showing up at the wrong times.