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Chris Finch calls Timberwolves’ loss to the Bulls ‘really, really unacceptable’ and says Rudy Gobert has to get his finishing back after an 0-for-7 night
Chris Finch called Minnesota’s 117-106 home loss to the Bulls a “really, really unacceptable performance” and said Rudy Gobert has to “get his finishing back around the paint” after an 0-of-7 night. LaMelo Ball said “we got our head busted in,” Ayo Dosunmu spoke about being “the hunted,” and Jaylen Clark hurt his hamstring.
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Chris Finch did not soften it. The Minnesota Timberwolves lost 117-106 at home to the Chicago Bulls on Saturday night, a team that came in 2-9, played the night before and did not reach Minneapolis until the day of the game. Minnesota’s five-game winning streak ended, and its coach called it a “really, really unacceptable performance.”
The Timberwolves fell to 9-4. They trailed 29-17 after one quarter and 58-45 at halftime, and they shot 9 of 38 from three. Finch was asked whether the offense or the defense bothered him more. “Both, really,” he said.
“We came out just trying to hoist up threes, hoping that they would go in. They were so-so shots, some were okay, some weren’t. We weren’t really imposing ourselves offensively,” Finch said. “On defense, we could never contain the ball at the point of attack, which was a problem all night. When we were able to, they snuck behind us for cheap rebounds or relocated when we were not paying attention to our guy off the ball. So yeah, really, really unacceptable performance.”
Finch on Rudy Gobert: ‘He’s gotta get on balance’
The sharpest words were about his own center. Rudy Gobert went 0 of 7 from the field and finished with one point and 10 rebounds. Jon Krawczynski noted it was Gobert’s fourth game this season without a made field goal. When Finch was asked why Gobert has been less effective around the basket, he gave a direct answer.
“He hasn’t been able to finish. He’s getting stripped, he’s missing layups, he’s not finishing strong,” Finch said. “He’s got to get on balance, collect and finish strong, and sometimes it’s going to be through contact. We need him to get his finishing back around the paint.”
The numbers back up the concern. Dane Moore pointed out during the game that Gobert is the only Timberwolves player averaging under one point per shot attempt this season. In every other season Gobert has spent in Minnesota, he led the team in that stat, usually at around 1.35 points per shot attempt.
LaMelo Ball: ‘We got our head busted in’
LaMelo Ball had 19 points, eight rebounds, six assists and four steals, but he shot 7 of 25 and 4 of 19 from three. One sequence summed up the night. Ball stole the ball and threw a lob to Jonathan Kuminga, who could not finish it, and Norman Powell hit a three at the other end to push Chicago’s lead to 11.
Asked what the team could take from the loss, Ball kept it short. “We got our head busted in, so we should be ready to play,” he said. Asked if a team sometimes needs a reminder like that during a season, he said, “For sure,” and compared it to a whooping from your father. “Get you back on the train,” he said. “We need that.”
Ayo Dosunmu: ‘From hunting to being the hunted’
Ayo Dosunmu, playing against the team that drafted him, led Minnesota with 24 points and scored 14 in the third quarter, when the Timberwolves went on a 13-0 run to get within 65-64. Chicago answered and led by as many as 16 in the fourth. Dosunmu said a 9-3 start means the Timberwolves will get every opponent’s best effort.
“Each and every night you’re going to get a team’s best shot, especially with how well we’ve been playing,” Dosunmu said. “I think we’re a good measuring stick. I think when you go up against the Minnesota Timberwolves, it’s one of those, like, ‘I can see how good my team is against them.’ And I think we have to understand that it’s different when you’re going from hunting to being the hunted.” He added that the team has to be ready to compete “each and every night.”
Jaylen Clark hurts his hamstring
The loss also cost Minnesota a defender. Jaylen Clark limped off early in the second quarter and was ruled out for the second half with right hamstring soreness. The Timberwolves have not given a timeline. They were already without Anthony Edwards, who is out with a knee injury, and Donte DiVincenzo, who is out with an Achilles injury.
Chicago, meanwhile, won without Caleb Wilson, Nic Claxton, Jalen Smith and Tobe Awaka. Powell scored 24 points, Matas Buzelis added 18 and nine rebounds, and the Bulls made 14 of 30 threes.
What’s next
The Timberwolves host the Portland Trail Blazers on Monday, Nov. 16, at 8 p.m. ET, which is 3 a.m. Tuesday in Cairo. The New York Knicks visit Target Center on Thursday, Nov. 19.
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