At the end of a close match, the scoreboard read 135-134. For Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves, their comeback from a 24-point deficit against the Indiana Pacers fell just short in overtime. Minnesota head coach Chris Finch spoke to reporters afterwards, clarifying his grievances- and without sugarcoating.

“For their first minutes out there, I thought they looked okay,” Finch said, talking about Anthony Edwards and Julius Randle, who are sharing the floor for the first time this season after a promising 2024-25 campaign. It was an honest approval of the duo; Randle was still finding his rhythm, while Edwards was working on getting to his spots.

“Obviously, Julius struggled to finish a little bit, rusty there. I thought Ant had some good looks,” Finch added, his observation pointing out that this wasn’t about flaws and more about timing. Randle struggled with his touch around the rim, with two missed shots in the restricted area and two more further away. Edwards didn’t hesitate to fire off quite a few shots, but struggled from both mid-range and the three-point line, missing 3 of his 5 mid-range shots and 4 of his 5 threes.

Then came subtle frustration: “There were some things out there we missed that were right in front of us — just simple stuff.” To Finch, ‘simple stuff’ doesn’t just mean missed shots; bad awareness, missed reads, poor spacing all plagued the Wolves, and these little things can decide the outcomes of close playoff games. However, Finch’s most significant issue with the team was defense.

“I think we were a little too respectful of their speed at times and gave them too much runway,” he said, letting his team know that they let the Pacers run them over. Indiana was playing without Tyrese Haliburton, who is likely missing all of next season, but still managed to shred through Minnesota’s defensive rotations with drives and ball movement.

Finally, he concluded: “We could have done a better job of getting into the ball.” The Wolves’ edge, identity, and advantage that pushed them through the playoffs last year weren’t there today, and they’ll have to find it fast.

Pacers Survive Late Wolves Comeback in Overtime Thriller

The night’s hero for Indiana was RayJ Dennis, who scored 14 of his 16 total points in the fourth quarter, helping the Pacers steady themselves after blowing a massive lead. Minnesota’s comeback was led by superstar Anthony Edwards, who scored 17 points, and Johnny Juzang, who had 20 points off the bench.

The Wolves managed to force overtime with key late defensive stops, but couldn’t sustain themselves in overtime. The Wolves shortened the Pacers’ lead to just one, and, with 22 seconds on the clock, Minnesota’s Enrique Freeman managed to generate an open three off a pump-fake, but missed the game-clinching shot.

For Indiana, who were missing Ben Sheppard, rookie Kam Jones and Haliburton, they leaned on their depth and managed to close the game despite blowing a massive lead. For Minnesota, the game is a warning; preseason allows the team to make mistakes, but they need to tighten up.