Minnesota Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch let his team have it following a loss to the Charlotte Hornets, calling it “an absolute disgusting performance of defense and immature basketball.”
The loss came despite, and perhaps even because of, star T-wolves center Karl Anthony Towns‘ historic performance in which he set the franchise record for points scored in a game with 62.
“Just because you’ve scored two or three or four points in a row, or baskets in a row, obviously we’re gonna try to feed a hot hand, look for a hot hand, but at some point we gotta get back to making the right play, we gotta get back to doing the right things,” the coach told the media after the game.
He appeared to call out Towns and the rest of the team, saying, “there’s a lot of ways to be immature, there’s always a lot of ways to be immature, and there was a lot of immature performances here throughout the roster. We totally disrespected the game, ourselves, and we got exactly what we deserve.”
There’s more:pic.twitter.com/yRdNAKR61o
— Oh no he didn’t (@ohnohedidnt24) January 23, 2024
Finch agreed with a reporter who accused Towns of “hunting” for points rather than trying to win the game.
“This is what happens when you have this type of approach,” Finch noted.
Chris Finch: “It was an absolute disgusting performance of defense and immature basketball all the way through the game… This is what happens when you have this type of approach.” pic.twitter.com/fIjNdk4K7V
— Oh no he didn’t (@ohnohedidnt24) January 23, 2024
Towns posted 44 points in the first half, one of the highest first half totals of all time, but cooled off significantly down the stretch. The star managed just four points in the fourth quarter on 2-10 shooting. (RELATED: Sixers’ Joel Embiid Pulls Off Absolutely Historic Performance With Record-Setting 70 Points)
To his credit, the 7-footer acknowledged his transgression, telling the media, “There’s no moral victories. It was cool when we were saying that when we were 15-30. But we’re number one in the West, one of the best teams in NBA, there ain’t no time for moral victories, silver linings, ‘great night, but just not a not a finish we wanted,'” he said, according to NBA.com.
Teammate and star guard Anthony Edwards also acknowledged his coach’s remarks, claiming, “We wasn’t focused from the jump at all … I think everybody was pretty much just trying to see him get 100 points. I knew I was.”
“We wasn’t focused from the jump at all… I think everybody was pretty much just trying to see him get 100 points. I knew I was.”
Anthony Edwards on the T-Wolves’ loss to the Hornets despite Karl-Anthony Towns’ 62-point game.
(via @SneakerReporter)pic.twitter.com/sNNHH7oCVf
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) January 23, 2024
Minnesota was up 18 points over Charlotte at one point, but let the Hornets back in the game, losing the fourth quarter scoring battle 36-18.
Still, despite the epic collapse, Minnesota had a chance to win it down one point with the ball in KAT’s hands. With under seven seconds left, the big man drove to the rim, drawing all five Charlotte defenders. He then went up for a bucket. But hometown hero and Charlotte forward Leaky Black blocked Towns and the Hornets were able to secure a 128-125 victory.
LEAKY BLACK BLOCKS KARL-ANTHONY TOWNS FOR THE WINpic.twitter.com/pjkvT4fBJs
— The Hesi (@LiveNBAStats) January 23, 2024
Despite Towns’ historic night being overshadowed by the loss, he has his Timberwolves in a great position as the top seed in the Western Conference. It’s a far cry from when they held the first overall pick in 2020 after winning only 19 games and even a significant improvement on last year’s eighth place finish.