The Timberwolves fell apart in clutch time in Sunday night's loss to the Warriors. After taking a 106-105 lead with 4:47 to play, they didn't score again and lost by eight points. During that run, they missed their last nine field goals and both of their free-throw attempts and turned the ball over twice. The catalyst was Anthony Edwards, who went ice cold and missed his final six shots.
Clutch time — defined as situations in the final five minutes of the fourth quarter or overtime where the game is within five points — has not been kind to the Wolves this season. They have a -19.5 net rating in 59 clutch minutes, which ranks fourth-worst in the NBA. They're shooting just 39.5 percent and have a 19.1 percent turnover rate in those situations. Within that context, they're probably fortunate to be 6-8 in games that have gone to clutch time.
Looking at Minnesota's individual player stats in clutch time, one thing stands out in a big way: Veteran point guard Mike Conley is the only member of the rotation with a positive net rating. He's at +13.3 in roughly 23 minutes across seven games. Everyone else who has played notable minutes in those situations is at -14.1 or worse, as noted by Jace Frederick of the Pioneer Press.
We have the updated clutch-time figures https://t.co/4zR3ZhLgTc pic.twitter.com/WFn7maBOYS
— Jace frederick (@JaceFrederick) December 9, 2024
And yet, Conley didn't play a single minute during the clutch stretch against Golden State on Monday. Chris Finch stuck with Nickeil Alexander-Walker — who was critical in getting Minnesota back into the game in the fourth quarter — alongside starters Edwards, Jaden McDaniels, Julius Randle, and Rudy Gobert. Per Frederick, the Wolves are now 5-2 when Conley plays in clutch time and 1-6 when he doesn't.
"I thought about putting Mike out there, but (Nickeil) was going good," Finch said afterwards.
That's an adjustment he has to make. Even if Alexander-Walker deserves to be on the floor, neither he nor Edwards are at their best when running the point. Someone, whether it was NAW or McDaniels or Randle, should've been replaced by Conley in the final minutes. The Wolves really need a true point guard on the floor at all times to help get them into their offense. Right now, with rookie Rob Dillingham injured, the 37-year-old Conley is the only player who fits that description (the hope is that Dillingham will be back in the Wolves' next game on Friday).
Edwards, who was dreadful in the closing minutes, has to get away from going into hero mode in clutch time, regardless of who he's sharing the floor with. But that's arguably easier when Conley is on the floor and Ant can play off of the ball.
I get why Finch closed with NAW (he was playing out of his damn mind).
But that shouldn’t directly translate to keeping Mike Conley on the bench, especially in clutch time.
Like it or not, this team needs a floor general out there for all 48 minutes (Mike or eventually Rob).
— Kyle Theige (@KyleTheige) December 9, 2024
The next time the Wolves find themselves in a clutch situation, Conley has to be out there to settle things down and steer the ship in the right direction.