Posted December 27, 2025
The Minnesota Timberwolves season is off to a strong start at the beginning of the 2025-26 campaign. This was expected after a 2024-25 season that saw them once again make the Western Conference Finals, only to lose to the Thunder in five games. The deep run in the playoffs last year brought high expectations coming into this season, especially from the fans, players, media, and the organization itself.
They are now sitting at a 10-6 record but dropped to 7th in the west after a brutal loss to the Phoenix Suns. Minnesota led by eight points with 55 seconds left; a situation NBA teams won 99.7% of the time, according to Ryan Eichten of Canis Hoops. This high percentage slipped away after two costly turnovers allowed the Suns to turn the game into a one-point deficit.
Wolves star Anthony Edwards then went to the free throw line with less than 20 seconds on the clock, with a chance to make the lead into a two- or three-point game. Neither happened as he missed both and gave the Suns full advantage. They then steamed down the court and scored the go-ahead basket with only six seconds remaining. The Timberwolves had no timeouts and had to race down the court, only for Julius Randle to airball the winning shot and ultimately lose the game.
This loss would be largely avoidable if the Timberwolves didn’t make a handful of mistakes down the stretch. Coach Chris Finch was asked postgame about the final minutes of the game and what seemed to happen. He commented, “We lost our minds, poor execution, turnovers obviously, and we just didn’t stay locked in for the last 90 seconds.”
It also didn’t help that the team’s role players were very inefficient and couldn’t get anything going offensively. Players Naz Reid, Donte DiVincenzo, and Mike Conley combined for 21 points, shot 30 percent from the field, and played 73 minutes altogether. The lack of support overshadowed Edwards’ 41-point performance and contributed to the game coming down to the final possession.
This game was not only a regular-season game but also an NBA Cup game as well. The NBA Cup is an in-season tournament that started in 2023. Whichever team wins the NBA Cup gets $500,000 per player, making this a high reward tournament. The Wolves were sitting at the top spot in their division for the tournament and after this loss dropped to third place. This could become a crucial loss, especially in a division that features the Oklahoma City Thunder The Timberwolves’ 10-6 record still represents a .625 winning percentage, but their biggest issue has been beating quality opponents. According to CBS Sports, Minnesota is 0-6 this season against teams above .500. The Wolves have handled teams they’re expected to beat but have yet to prove they can consistently compete with playoff-caliber opponents. An issue they must address if they hope to return to the Western Conference finals and ultimately contend for the NBA championship.
The article may be found online at https://uwrfjournalism.org/2025/12/minnesotas-struggles-against-winning-teams-continue-in-loss-to-phoenix/.