The Minnesota Timberwolves are back in action on Friday, and they’ll be looking to restart a winning streak after their five-game run was snapped at the hands of the Phoenix Suns on Monday. It was clear the Timberwolves were fatigued in the loss, as production from everyone outside of their typical core was essentially non-existent. 

At practice on Wednesday, Timberwolves forward Naz Reid offered a rare but blunt admission regarding the team’s energy level on Monday. Point blank, Reid conceded that the Timberwolves were simply out of gas after erasing their early-season inconsistency with their timely streak.

“I think I think a lot of us were just tired for real and it kind of showed,” Reid said. “We kind of expressed that a little bit on the bench as well. I think we were just a little tired, and that comes about in an 82-game season. It happens, but you still got to put your best foot forward and you try to pull out the energy any way, shape, or form.”

Still, this is the NBA, and you can’t just chalk up every game you’re not fully energized as a loss. If you do, the season will unravel quickly and often decisively. Reid knows as much, and he knows the Timberwolves still need to find a way to pull those games out even when there’s nothing left in the tank. If anything, it only strengthens them for another deep playoff run. 

“It's one of those things where, whether you're going through a slump or you're just tired and  fatigued, it’s one of those things you just got to stick it through and kind of got to compete at the end of day,” Reid said. “They’re not just going move the game, so you got kind of just got to dig it out and compete still.”

In terms of what the bench unit needs to do to get their production up in support of Edwards, Julius Ranfle and Rudy Gobert, Reid made it clear that they just need to get more familiar with their playbook and the actions within it. 

“We’ve got scorers on the bench, but we’ve got to get them going,” Reid said. “Get them to learn the plays and all the actions and all that stuff, you know.”

The Timberwolves are on the road in the Bay Area tomorrow, as they’ll be taking on the Golden State Warriors at the Chase Center with tip-off set for 9 p.m. CST on NBATV.