Chris Finch: Wolves Lost ‘Composure,’ Made ‘Inexcusable Plays’ in G4 Loss to Nuggets

Andrew PetersMay 13, 2024

AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post

The Minnesota Timberwolves are deadlocked with the Denver Nuggets after dropping Game 4 of their second-round series, 115-107, on Sunday night.

After the loss, Minnesota head coach Chris Finch said the Timberwolves made “inexcusable plays that you can’t make right now” and “lost their composure” throughout the game, per ESPN’s Dave McMenamin.

Minnesota star Anthony Edwards had 44 points in the win, but it wasn’t enough. The Wolves will head to Denver for Game 5 where they will look to bounce back and gain a 3-2 advantage.

Edwards’ co-star Karl-Anthony Towns struggled in the loss, scoring 13 points on a lackluster 5-of-18 from the field. Minnesota got just 13 points from its bench with Naz Reid scoring 11, and it will take much more than that to overpower Denver’s well-oiled offense.

The Wolves made several mistakes throughout the game that made mounting a comeback that much more difficult. One of the most memorable stretches was the final 20 seconds of the first half when Minnesota allowed an 8-0 run in the span of 20 seconds that was capped off by a halfcourt buzzer-beater from Jamal Murray:

Bleacher Report @BleacherReportJAMAL MURRAY BUZZER BEATER FROM HALF COURT 🚨😳 pic.twitter.com/1P6pYHMxEh

Minnesota had a decent Game 4 overall, but careless mistakes kept it from overcoming a 64-49 halftime deficit. Now, the Wolves’ 2-0 series lead has vanished.

The Timberwolves took a swift 2-0 lead over the defending champs and pieced together a dominant 26-point win in Game 2, but Denver has responded like champions. On Friday, the Nuggets handled business, 117-90, before taking Game 4 on Sunday.

Minnesota is looking to reach the Western Conference Finals for the first time since 2004, but as Finch said, it will need to clean up some sloppy play to get there.