Chris Finch confirms Timberwolves didn't intend to foul late in loss to Magic
Chris Finch confirmed that the Minnesota Timberwolves did not intend to foul during a possession that effectively sealed a 108-106 loss to the Orlando Magic on Friday night.
The play came late in the fourth quarter as the Magic had the ball with a five-second differential on the shot clock and a 106-104 lead.
The Timberwolves were holding the Magic at bay until Jaden McDaniels fouled Paolo Banchero with nine seconds left and the Magic star knocked down a pair of free throws that gave Orlando a 108-104 lead.
"The plan wasn't to foul at all...the plan was to get a stop," Finch told reporters after the game. "I got confidence in the defense and some of those miscommunications said they thought we should have fouled."
McDaniels's foul was just one of several mistakes for the Timberwolves down the stretch as they battled in a tight game with the Magic. Poor shot selection came back to plague the Wolves in the final frame as Minnesota shot just 25 percent in the fourth quarter and relied on several isolation plays featuring Anthony Edwards, who shot just 3-for-8.
"That's been a little bit of our problem," Finch said of the Wolves' shot selection. "I thought we got some good looks in the fourth that didn't go down. By that time...we certainly needed them but we'll look at the tape.
Finch also cited Timberwolves inability to get out in transition, which resulted in just seven fast break points in the loss.
"We don't get anything easy," Finch explained. "We don't get out and run like we should even after makes even after misses or turnovers. In transition, we've been really poor at converting ... those are points that you absolutely have to have and not getting those are accounting for some of our low point totals."
Timberwolves guard Mike Conley also noted the Timberwolves' struggles in the fourth quarter and getting away from what works schematically early in games.
"I've said all the time, 'don't get bored of kind of doing what works,'" Conley said via Wolves reporter Dane Moore. "It's easier said than done, especially in the fourth quarter. In fourth quarters, we tend to lean on our stars, we lean on the guys who have higher usages, are ball-dominant and it's on all of us as players to make their jobs easier – get spacing right, get into our spots in the right manner and it's also on them at that point to...make the right reads."
While the Timberwolves' offense has been a problem, so has their objection to officiating in recent weeks. With Friday's game tied at 93 in the fourth quarter, Edwards was called for a technical foul which gave the Magic a one-point lead with 6:59 left.
"I got fouled and they didn't call it," Edwards said of the play. "I just wanted to express myself and got a tech for it."
Edwards was fined $40,000 by the NBA earlier this week for criticizing officials after Tuesday's win over the Oklahoma City Thunder but it appears his rant didn't sway the calls in his favor. Even if Edwards got fouled, it didn't do Minnesota any favors as they crumbled down the stretch.
It's among several factors that have plaguing the Timberwolves recently after falling into a tie for first place with Oklahoma City with a 34-15 record this season. While there's time to turn it around, mistakes like Edwards's technical, McDaniel's decision to foul, and a poor offensive performance are things that need to be cleaned up with three months of the season to go.
"It's definitely a major teaching point, for sure," Finch said. "You can't keep making these mistakes. Just can't. These guys gotta rise to the occasion. They've got to put that stuff behind them. We're going to play a lot of high-intensity games and close games and they got to keep their composure."
