Chris Finch reveals what went wrong in the Minnesota Timberwolves' 119-92 loss to the Orlando Magic on Saturday night.
Finch is in the sixth season of his head coaching career with the Timberwolves. He hopes to lead the franchise to its third consecutive Western Conference Finals appearance, while attempting to reach the NBA Finals for the first time in history.
However, they have to go through ups and downs in the regular season. According to reporter Dan Moore, their blowout loss to the Magic was an example of the latter, as Finch explained after the game why the team did not play up to its usual high standards.
Finch said, "I thought there was a massive effort. I thought there were a lot of gameplan breakdowns that really hurt us. They may have looked like lack of effort playing games, but I think they were more mental lapses than physical effort."
Chris Finch was asked how much of the Wolves' 27-point loss at home to Orlando today had to do with effort.
"I thought a fair amount of the effort was there. I just thought there were a lot of gameplan breakdowns that really hurt us. They may have looked like lack of effort plays, but they were... pic.twitter.com/dZua8QnHkl
- Dane Moore (@DaneMooreNBA) 7 March 2026
Chris Finch, how the Timberwolves performed against the Magic
Chris Finch knows the Timberwolves are capable of beating the Magic. However, his performance on both sides of the ball left much to be desired all night.
Four players scored in double figures for Minnesota in the win. Anthony Edwards led the way with a stat line of 34 points, three rebounds, two assists, two steals and two blocks. He made 8 of 18 shots from the field, including 5 of 9 from beyond the arc, and 13 of 14 from the free-throw line. Julius Randle came next with 14 points and nine rebounds, Naz Reed had 13 points and eight rebounds, while Rudy Gobert provided 12 points and eight rebounds.
Minnesota fell to a 40–24 record on the season and finished fourth in the Western Conference standings. They are above the Denver Nuggets and Los Angeles Lakers, while trailing the Houston Rockets and San Antonio Spurs.
The Timberwolves will look to bounce back in their next game while on the road. They will face the Lakers as tip-off takes place on March 10 at 11 pm ET.
