The Minnesota Timberwolves lost to the Memphis Grizzlies 137-128 on Monday in an uncharacteristic lack of intensity from the Timberwolves that led to a struggling Grizzlies team racking up nearly 140 points. 

Going into Monday's game the Timberwolves had been riding a four-game win streak before being stopped in their tracks and despite their offense performing just fine with 128 points scored and another huge Anthony Edwards performance, it was the overall effort throughout the game that led to the Grizzlies getting the better of them. 

For Jaden McDaniels, it was clear what went wrong for the Timberwolves and that was a lack of finishing and a lack of attention on the boards for the team.

"Just the intensity," McDaniels said (via Timberwolves). [We're] just not finishing plays, like offensive rebounds."

Memphis got the better of Minnesota 45-40 when it came to rebounding and 33 defensive boards to the Timberwolves' 27. 

That difference in rebounding is what helped give the Grizzlies the team needed to rack up the score. Both Minnesota and Memphis had 44 made shots, but Memphis happened to be better from three point range and gained the advantage when it came to the free throw line. 

What McDaniels found most frustrating by the Timberwolves' lack of finishing is the fact that it spoiled what he thought was a good defensive effort for Minnesota. 

He stressed that rebounding and finishing plays needs to be a whole-team effort and that it doesn't matter who the competition is, everyone in a Timberwolves jersey needs to do their part to grab boards. 

"We've just got to rebound and finish the plays. We've played too good of a defense to not finish the play and we've just got to all help rebound, 1-5, no matter who's next to you just got hit him and box out," McDaniels said. 

The Timberwolves have been steadily climbing up the standings this season, but they aren't in a position to let up. With teams like the San Antonio Spurs, Oklahoma City Thunder and Denver Nuggets ahead of them and the Los Angeles Lakers and Phoenix Suns behind them, the Timberwolves need to fight for every inch they can get. 

The talent is there to make that happen, what has to follow now is the consistency. 

When they're clicking, there are few teams better on both the offensive and defensive end than the Timberwolves but they have a bad habit of letting winnable games go by with a lack of effort or finishing as McDaniels described and they can't afford to let games like that go by or not bring the necessary effort every single night.