Timberwolves fall short as Kings win fifth straight at Target Center
Published in Basketball
MINNEAPOLIS — Timberwolves coach Chris Finch said before Monday’s game against the Kings that Sacramento might play a freer version of basketball after it made a major trade in dealing guard De’Aaron Fox to San Antonio. The three-team trade netted them former Wolves guard Zach LaVine from the Chicago Bulls.
LaVine didn’t play, and sure enough the Kings defeated the Wolves 116-114.
The Wolves went on a scoring drought of 4 minutes, 37 seconds in the fourth quarter and couldn’t get stops down the stretch as the Kings won their fifth consecutive game in Target Center. The Wolves had a chance to tie the game down three with 6.8 seconds to play, but Jaden McDaniels lost the ball out of bounds before Sacramento iced the game at the free-throw line.
DeMar DeRozan, who averages more points in his career against the Wolves than any other franchise, had 33. Malik Monk added 26. The Wolves allowed layups for Monk and then DeRozan with 30 seconds remaining to give Sacramento a 110-106 lead with 30 seconds to play. The Wolves could not get the required defensive stops down the stretch. Naz Reid led the Wolves with 30 while Anthony Edwards, back from a one-game absence because of an illness, had 18 points on 6 for 20. McDaniels added 22.
Nets on fire in first
Defense was optional in the first quarter as each team came out on fire. Sacramento hit 56% to open the night while the Wolves shot 54%. Reid, who played after suffering a finger sprain that caused him to exit Saturday’s loss to the Wizards had 16 points in the first quarter, but it was all he and the Wolves could do to keep up with the hot-shooting Kings. Keegan Murray opened the night a perfect 5 for 5 while DeRozan hit his first four shots. Murray had 17 by the end of the first and the Kings led 38-34.
The first three substitutions off the bench for Chris Finch were Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Rob Dillingham and Luka Garza.
Kings stay ahead in second
Finch benched Edwards and Reid together in the second quarter as Edwards struggled in the first half; he was 2 for 8 from the floor and picked up a technical foul.
Sacramento went on a 9-0 run late in the quarter and expanded its lead to as much as 12 before going into the halftime locker room up 67-59. The Kings had 13 second-chance points in the first half. McDaniels had 14 for the Wolves in the first half.
Wolves never lead for long
Domantas Sabonis picked up his fourth foul less than three minutes into the third with the Kings up six, and the Wolves would eventually tie the score 77-77 on a 14-5 run. Edwards had eight in the quarter after having eight in the first half. But DeRozan kept the Wolves from grabbing the lead with 12 third-quarter points, and the Kings held a slim 88-87 lead entering the fourth.
The Wolves took their first lead since the first quarter at 91-90 early in the fourth on a Reid 3. But they would go 4:37 without a point in the fourth as the Kings rebuilt a 101-95 lead and never let the Wolves get it back.
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