Wolves' young guys get plenty of run in preseason loss to Nuggets

Minnesota's starters and key reserves got the final preseason game off Thursday night.

Nolan O'Hara | Oct 17, 2024

Minnesota Timberwolves guard Rob Dillingham, right, fouls Denver Nuggets forward Christian Braun as he shoots in the first quarter at Target Center in Minneapolis on Oct. 17, 2024. / Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images

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Minnesota Timberwolves

On the second half of a back to back after playing in Chicago the night prior, Timberwolves coach Chris Finch used Thursday night’s preseason game against the Denver Nuggets as an opportunity to give the young guys heavy minutes.

The Wolves ruled out their starting five in Mike Conley, Anthony Edwards, Jaden McDaniels, Julius Randle and Rudy Gobert, as well as reserves Naz Reid, Donte DiVincenzo, Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Joe Ingles. That left the Wolves with a starting lineup featuring rookies Rob Dillingham and Terrence Shannon Jr., P.J. Dozier, Josh Minott and Luka Garza.

The young Wolves didn't make life easy on a Denver Nuggets team playing all its key players in a 132-126 loss at Target Center in Minneapolis.

Offensively, Garza proved to be the primary option for the Wolves will their key rotation players on the bench. Garza showcased his dynamic offensive skillset that made him such a force throughout his college career at Iowa.

He crashed the offensive glass and poured in some second-chance points, he knocked down shots from long range and did a nice job on his post ups. In 32 minutes, Garza finished with a team-high 29 points, nine rebounds and an assist.

"My mindset, no matter if it's two minutes at the end of the game, garbage minutes, playing in the rotation or starting or something like this, I try to take advantage of it," Garza said. "I know how rare these type of opportunities come, especially like this against the best player in the world, you know, start against him. It's an awesome opportunity, so I wanted to get out there, do whatever I could to stay present, stay in the moment and not let it pass by without taking advantage of it."

Finch said pregame that he hoped to see Dillingham get into a rhythm, but Dillingham found himself in foul trouble early, picking up his fourth of the night in the second quarter. That cut into his minutes, but when Dillingham was on the court, he was active as a playmaker, creating good looks for teammates on the offensive end. Dillingham said playmaking has been what's transitioned best from his college game to the NBA, which has been evident in his play on the court.

He also hit a 3-pointer with just under six minutes remaining in the fourth quarter that got the Wolves within three points.

Dillingham played 26 minutes overall and finished with 15 points on 6-for-14 shooting and seven assists.

Minott didn't have his best game of the preseason, finishing with seven points on 3-for-8 shooting, three rebounds and an assist, but he was solid defensively, and it would still appear he may work his way into the rotation during the regular season.

Shannon showed some flashes, highlighted with a big transition dunk in the second quarter. Shannon played 31 minutes and finished with nine points, five rebounds and six assists, doing a little bit of everything.

OH MY TJ!!! 🤯 pic.twitter.com/8eqxPHQbv6
— Minnesota Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) October 18, 2024

Off the bench, Jaylen Clark, Daishen Nix and Leonard Miller all made an impact. Clark had a pair of first-quarter steals, showcasing his abilities as a lockdown defender. But he also made an impact offensively, scoring 11 points on 5-for-8 shooting, including a fourth-quarter 3 that got the Wolves within 106-104 with 7:47 remaining in the contest.

Clark also finished with four steals and four rebounds before fouling out late.

The Wolves had 37 fouls in the game.

"I think once they figured out what the purpose of the game should have been, like how to attack a defense. The team that started the second half played with physicality. Didn't foul, just fouled too much, but certainly lots to learn from there," Finch said. "Good things for sure, but overall, a little bit off, but that's to be expected."

JESSE DOES IT AGAIN pic.twitter.com/eQR5ri9WF2
— Minnesota Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) October 18, 2024

Jesse Edwards, who's on a two-way contract for this season, certainly made the most of his extended opportunity Thursday night, scoring 14 points on 4-for-6 shooting and grabbing four rebounds.

Nix showed off his long-range shooting with a pair of 3s and finished the night as the Wolves' second-leading scorer with 17 points on 6-for-11 shooting. He also had five assists and four rebounds.

Miller drilled a 3 to open the second quarter, got a transition layup to give the Wolves a 27-25 lead the next possession and delivered a highlight-reel block from behind Nuggets center Nikola Jokic, who didn't particularly look like he wanted to be playing Thursday night, during the third quarter. Miller finished with 13 points and eight rebounds.