3 takeaways from Minnesota Timberwolves’ loss at Dallas

1. Fourth-quarter problems

The Minnesota Timberwolves have historically had problems when the final quarter of the game rolls around. They seem to often have pretty strong outings through the first 36 minutes, but then they seem to just coast and try to win in the final 12 minutes.

One problem the Timberwolves faced in the fourth quarter was Mavericks bench guard Jalen Brunson, who went off in the fourth quarter, scoring 16 points and going 6-for-6 from the field with two 3-pointers. This created a problem for Minnesota’s backcourt defense, as Seth Curry and Luka Doncic were also having hot nights.

Another problem that Minnesota faced was perimeter defense. Dallas ended up shooting 6-of-9 from 3-point range in the fourth quarter after going 5-for-28 through the first three. In comparison, the Timberwolves, who lived and died by the 3-point in this game, shot 4of-7 from the 3-point range in the fourth quarter after shooting 13-for-31 prior to that.

If the Timberwolves are going to look to right the ship in during this road trip, which is going to be incredibly important for the Timberwolves in their hunt for a playoff spot, they will need to address these problems and more in order to pick up a win.