Tale of two halves: Wolves lose to Hawks 134-122 after injuries, ejections
Trae Young #11 of the Atlanta Hawks draws a foul from Karl-Anthony Towns #32 of the Minnesota Timberwolves during the second half at State Farm Arena on January 19, 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
(FOX 9) - The Minnesota Timberwolves had another chance to get back above. 500 Wednesday night, but lost for the 28th time on the second night of a back-to-back 134-122 to the Atlanta Hawks in a game where Anthony Edwards was ejected, and Karl-Anthony Towns got flagrant and technical fouls in the second half.
D’Angelo Russell led the Timberwolves in scoring with an efficient 31 points, while Edwards would score 20 (in only 25 minutes) and Towns added 17. Malik Beasley added 16 points off the bench.
If the Timberwolves came out tired on the second night of a back-to-back, you wouldn’t have known it by their start. The Timberwolves had a 42-point opening quarter, just their eighth 40-point quarter in 45 games this season.
But the good fortune would soon end, as they lost Patrick Beverly early in the first quarter to an ankle injury. He would not return, and he wasn't the only Timberwolves' player to be dismissed before the night was over.
The Hawks opened the second half on a 20-2 run, and with six minutes left in the third quarter, Edwards was ejected. He earned to quick technical fouls after a drive to the basket where he felt he drew contact, and there was no whistle. The Hawks pulled away from there.
Tale of two halves: Wolves lose to Hawks 134-122 after injuries, ejections
The Timberwolves lost to the Hawks 134-122 Wednesday night in a game where Anthony Edwards was ejected and Karl-Anthony Towns fouled out.
At the end of the third quarter Towns, hit a Dirk Nowitzki-esqe fade away jumper, then offered words to Hawks center Onyeka Okongw who was guarding him – garnering himself both a flagrant and technical foul – and proving what would be the overall theme of a game dominated by frustration and missed chances.
With multiple players now unavailable and as many others in foul trouble, the Timberwolves wouldn’t have the firepower to come back despite cutting the Hawks lead to only six points with a minute left. Towns fouled out, leaving Russell as the remaining member of the "big three" and dropping their streak to 28 games on the second night of a back-to-back after winning the first game, a skid that goes back to the 2011 season.
After the loss, Timberwolves' coach Chris Finch expressed his frustrations with both calls and non-calls made by the referees throughout the course of the game, saying it affected both the way he coached and the outcome as a whole. He noted that Edwards apologized to his teammates in the locker room, and that there is an ongoing dialogue with the league regarding officiating.
The Timberwolves play the Brooklyn Nets next on Sunday – a team that has recently reintroduced all-star guard Kyrie Irving into its lineup. The Wolves are in the No. 7 spot in the Western Conference, and their 22 wins with 37 games to play already matches their win totals from five seasons since 2007.