The Wizards gave a solid effort that just wasn’t enough against a superior Minnesota Timberwolves squad. They also got some good luck in the form of the Timberwolves bricking open threes but were ultimately undone by rampant turnovers and giving up too many offensive rebounds.
The Timberwolves have the NBA’s number one defense, and they were stifling. Washington shot a decent percentage but committed 21 turnovers. Minnesota couldn’t shoot accurately from any range but they grabbed 15 offensive rebounds and had just seven turnovers. The differentials in turnovers and offensive boards allowed the Timberwolves to take 23 more field goal attempts than Washington.