Friday’s 124-117 loss to the Clippers was a fairly accurate encapsulation of where the Timberwolves (10-15) are after 25 games.
There were defensive struggles, an inability to limit top-flight players Kawhi Leonard and Paul George from carving them like a Christmas ham. They were cold from the outside, hitting just six of 30 three-point attempts through three quarters.
Then the fourth quarter came. The Wolves picked up the defensive intensity, they played together and didn’t fold in the face of a large deficit. Karl-Anthony Towns demonstrated that he is one of the best centers in the league with 18 points in the period, 39 for the game.