Finch went big for a dominant stretch in the fourth quarter against Brooklyn. Was it a one-hit wonder?
A sore left foot could keep Terrence Shannon Jr. out of Minnesota's game against the Knicks Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden. Without him, the Wolves still have depth, but the rotations might not look the same.
Perhaps the most interesting question is whether head coach Chris Finch will give his biggest lineup combination another run after they dominated the Nets for a brief stretch during the fourth quarter at Brooklyn on Monday night. The big lineup features Donte DiVincenzo, Jaden McDaniels, Julius Randle, Naz Reid, and Rudy Gobert. That's essentially a shooting guard with a small forward, two stretch fours, and a center. Odd, to say the least. But that lineup played four minutes together against Brooklyn and roared with a 225.0 offensive rating and a 100.0 defensive rating. Yeah, they were facing the 0-7 Nets, but the domination and purity of their play is hard to ignore. Finch went to that lineup when the Wolves were leading 101-93 with 6:57 remaining in the fourth quarter. They played together until Finch emptied the bench with the Wolves leading 121-101 with 2:59 to go. That lineup outscored Brooklyn 20-8 in the span of three minutes and 58 seconds. Possession-by-possession, the results were as follows:They scored every time they had the ball, with the only missed shot turning into an offensive rebound and a three from Reid. The return of Anthony Edwards , who is questionable after being cleared for full contact earlier this week, would impact the rotations Finch uses. But if he doesn't play, and the Wolves don't have Shannon, it would be wise to give that five-man lineup combination more opportunities to see if Monday's dominance can be repeated against a Knicks roster that is far superior to Brooklyn.Joe Nelson has more than 20 years of experience in Minnesota sports journalism. Nelson began his career in sports radio, working at smaller stations in Marshall and St. Cloud before moving to the highly-rated KFAN-FM 100.3 in the Twin Cities. While there, he produced the popular mid-morning show hosted by Minnesota Vikings play-by-play announcer Paul Allen. His time in radio laid the groundwork for his transition to sports writing in 2011. He covers the Vikings, Timberwolves, Gophers and Twins for On SI.
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