Inside The Nets

Timberwolves, Edwards End Nets' Streak in Scrappy Win

Minnesota snapped Brooklyn's two-game winstreak.

Kyler Fox

Apr 3, 2025; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves shooting guard Anthony Edwards (5) and Brooklyn Nets guard Keon Johnson (45) battle for the ball during the first half at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images
Apr 3, 2025; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves shooting guard Anthony Edwards (5) and Brooklyn Nets guard Keon Johnson (45) battle for the ball during the first half at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images / Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images
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For the first time in the 2024-25 NBA season, the Brooklyn Nets took on the Minnesota Timberwolves at the Barclays Center on opposite ends of the league's spectrum. Brooklyn—battered with injuries and desperately clinging to the sixth-best odds in May's draft lottery—fell to the Western Conference's sixth-seeded Timberwolves 105-90.

Nic Claxton led the Nets with 18 points and six rebounds, while Dariq Whitehead added 17 points on 5-of-9 shooting from beyond the arc.

In a low-scoring opening frame which resulted in a one-point deficit for Brooklyn, neither side was able to muster much offensively. Outside of Nic Claxton's six points—four of which came off of alley-oop finishes—the hosts were quite inneficient from the field, largely due to Cam Thomas, Cam Johnson, Noah Clowney and Day'Ron Sharpe being out with injury. However, their opponent shot even worse.

Minnesota was limited to just over 28%, while no other Timberwolve came close to Anthony Edwards' eight point output. Despite outrebounding the Nets 18-9, Chris Finch's group struggled to score—especially amid a 10-3 Brooklyn run that closed out the first quarter.

The trend of barren offense on both ends continued into the second quarter, Rudy Gobert quickly emerged as a bright spot for the visitors. He'd finish the half with 9 points and 14 rebounds, yet suffered a massive blow late in the stanza. At the 3:45 mark, Edwards was helped to the locker room after stepping on Jordi Fernandez's foot, taking away Minnesota's top scoring threat until his return in the third.

In Edwards' absence, Naz Reid began torching the Nets' defense. The reigning Sixth Man of the Year tallied 9 points in just 13 minutes of action. Courtesy of he and Gobert—as well as a disatrious first half scoring the ball by the Nets—Brooklyn faced a 12-point deficit at the break.

After trailing by double digits for nearly the entirety of the third quarter, Whitehead—former Duke standout—did what he's done best all season (albeit in a small sample size). The second-year guard nailed a three-pointer—his third of the game to that point—with just over a minute to play. Unfortunately for the Nets, they surrendered an immediate response via a Nickeil Alexander-Walker 22-footer, restoring the Timberwolves' lead to 10 heading down the stretch.

Gobert continued his interior takeover in the fourth, gashing Brooklyn inside en route to a near-20-point, 20-rebound performance, guiding his squad to an 8-0 run to kick off the final frame of action. Following a five-point sequence—including a vicious transition slam coming off an Alexander-Walker steal, the Nets had been outscored 13-6 halfway through the quarter, signalling an end to their two-game winning streak.

After dropping the first of a four-game homestand, Brooklyn gets matchups with the Toronto Raptors this Sunday at 3:30 p.m. EST before hosting the New Orleans Pelicans and Atlanta Hawks next week. With just five games remaining before postseason play begins, the clashes with Toronto and New Orleans will be vital to the Nets' draft lottery hopes.

To access the final box score from the Nets' loss to the Timberwolves, click here.

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Kyler Fox
KYLER FOX

Kyler is a staff writer for Brooklyn Nets on SI, where he covers all things related to the team. He is also the managing editor of The Torch, St. John's University's independent student-run newspaper.

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