Short-handed Wolves lose Naz Reid and fall to Wizards, who snap 16-game skid

It was a rough night at Target Center on Saturday.

Washington Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma (33) goes to the basket against Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert in the first quarter at Target Center in Minneapolis on Feb. 1, 2025. / Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images

The Minnesota Timberwolves made a strong effort in navigating a game without their top two scoring options, but the offense dried up down the stretch without a clear closer on the court. They were ultimately just a little too short-handed.

The Wolves were without Anthony Edwards (illness) and Julius Randle (groin), and while they were able to generate strong offense at times, they missed six straight shots and had a pair of turnovers during a nearly four-minute stretch of the fourth quarter, one they ultimately couldn't overcome in a 105-103 loss to the Washington Wizards Saturday night at Target Center in Minneapolis. The Wizards snapped a 16-game losing streak with their first win since New Year's Day.

Mike Conley was fouled on a 3-point attempt and made all three free throws to cut it to 105-103 with 15.1 seconds remaining. Nickeil Alexander-Walker came up with a steal on the other end to give the Wolves one last chance to tie or take the lead, but he missed a potential game-winning 3 as time expired. They couldn't overcome the late dry spell.

"I wasn't mad at (Alexander-Walker's) look," said Conley, who was questionable coming into the game due to a thumb injury but played 34 minutes and had 16 points and five assists. "But I think as a whole, we all will take a 2 or a 3."

The loss wasn't the biggest concern of the night for the Wolves (27-22). Already hit with the injury bug, they added another Saturday night as Naz Reid exited during the third quarter and was later ruled out due to a finger sprain. There was no immediate update on his status, but it was yet another blow to a Minnesota team that's expected to be down Randle for several more games and remains without Donte DiVincenzo (toe). Reid started the game in place of Randle.

Kyle Kuzma was the hot hand for the Wizards (7-41), scoring a game-high 31 points on 13-for-24 shooting, including a jumper that put them up 103-100 with 55 seconds remaining. Jonas Valanciunas grabbed an offensive rebound and put it back to put Washington up 105-100 with 19.5 seconds left to play. That sequence essentially put the game away.

There were some bright spots for the Wolves. Jaden McDaniels had an excellent all-around game, scoring a team-high 23 points while adding 12 rebounds, four assists, four steals and a block in 40 minutes. Rudy Gobert had 16 and 16 boards. Joe Ingles was a particular bright spot in his first real extended minutes of the season, finishing with 10 points, three assists, a rebound and a steal in 19 minutes. He played nearly all of the fourth quarter and helped close the gap.

“It was nice to be out there and contribute," Ingles said. "Obviously it’s something you always feel like and know you can do. Never gonna f*ck up the vibe of the group and make it about me, but I think they’ve all known I’m ready when they call me on, and I’ll continue to do that moving forward.” 

There were more extended minutes for the young guys like Jaylen Clark, Luka Garza and Rob Dillingham. All had strong stretches in the first half. Clark finished with nine points, four rebounds and a steal; Dillingham had seven points and seven assists; and Garza didn't score but had two rebounds and an assist. Only Clark saw action during the fourth quarter as Wolves coach Chris Finch said he didn't think Dillingham and Garza played very well during their second-half stints.

Conley, McDaniels, Gobert and Alexander-Walker all played the entire fourth. Clark subbed in a couple times for Ingles.

Having Edwards back will certainly help, but the Wolves will need to find a way to overcome Randle's absence offensively.

"You got to do it by committee," Finch said. "... There were times I thought we did a pretty good job of that."