Donte Divincenzo pointed out the mistakes that led to the Timberwolves' downfall.
The Minnesota Timberwolves suffered a blowout 109-87 loss to the Detroit Pistons on Saturday and Donte Divincenzo had a lot to say about the mistakes that led to the devastating loss.
Minnesota has been struggling to find consistency in the final stretch of the season and the team hasn't been able to chain together a long winning streak in some time.
When it comes to the loss against the Pistons, Divincenzo pointed to a series of technical mistakes as well as a lack of aggressiveness in certain opportunities as to why Detroit was able to run away with the game.
Detroit Pistons guard Daniss Jenkins (24) works around Minnesota Timberwolves guard Donte DiVincenzo (0) during the second half at Target Center. Matt Krohn-Imagn ImagesDivincenzo Points to Complacency
"I just think we kind of got a little complacent out there and that's when they took over," Divincenzo said (via Timberwolves).
Divincenzo went on to explain that turnovers in transition were one of the biggest factors in what let the game get away from Minnesota. The Timberwolves have been a team that's prided themselves on their fast pace and overwhelming offense, but that offense can only be effective if they keep the ball in their hands.
Minnesota Timberwolves guard Donte DiVincenzo (0) shoots over Detroit Pistons guard Kevin Huerter (27) during the first half at Target Center. Matt Krohn-Imagn ImagesTurnovers obviously stand in the way of that and against Detroit, there were plenty of turnovers. The Timberwolves lost the ball 14 times during the game and when that happens in transition, as Divincenzo said, it can seriously alter the momentum swing of of the game.
Playing against a team like the Pistons, giving up any kind of ground can turn a good situation bad, or a bad situation worse.
Minnesota Timberwolves guard Donte DiVincenzo (0) works around Houston Rockets guard Amen Thompson (1) in the first quarter at Target Center. Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn ImagesPoor Performances From the Field and At the Glass
It didn't help that Minnesota couldn't find a groove when it came to shooting the ball. They shot just 32% from the field and 21% from three point range in the face of the physical Detroit defense.
The biggest problem by far for Minnesota in the game wasn't the lack of shooting, though. It was the lack of rebounding. The Pistons out-rebounded the Timberwolves 52 to 28.
Minnesota particularly struggled on offensive rebounding, and on an off shooting night like the one the Timberwolves were having, failing to grab your own board and create a second-chance opportunity can seriously poke hols in any chance at mounting a comeback or building toward a run.
The Timberwolves are still in a good position as the season comes to a close with the fifth-seed in the Western Conference and an identical record to the Houston Rockets.
But, losses like Saturday's reveal that despite all of the talent on the Minnesota roster, there's still a lot of work to be done.