The Timberwolves’ fourth quarter performances in Atlanta and Dallas this week were both horrendous, which cost Minnesota a win against the Hawks and tainted a Christmas Day victory over the Mavericks.

So, there’s been little relief from the pent-up frustration from a fan base hoping to see a similar level of play that it witnessed a year ago. There’s also been big tactical answer, such as cutting the minutes of the much-maligned Julius Randle or shaking up to the starting five.

Thus, the easy assumption is nothing is changing. But that isn’t exactly true.

After the Wolves fell to Atlanta, coach Chris Finch was asked if he’d considered a swap in the starting five. He said everything was on the table, but noted the Wolves would consider lineup changes throughout the rotation. And there has been a veer in that regard.

Minnesota’s starting lineup is intact, but its mixed lineups — which feature combinations of starters and reserves — are evolving. Randle is seeing more time alongside the reserve trio of Naz Reid, Donte DiVincenzo and Nickeil Alexander-Walker. So far, so good.

The Wolves are leaning into a five-man combination to open second quarters that feature those four, plus young wing Josh Minott. While they’ve only played 19 minutes together, they’re out-scoring opponents by 22 points per 100 possessions, and playing at a break-neck pace of 111.94.

Within that lineup, Randle seems to have a firm understanding of the importance of tempo and, just as importantly, he plays with four guys who are willing and able to run alongside of him. It doesn’t seem to be a coincidence that Randle has re-established some sort of rhythm in recent games as there are segments where he gets to play a brand of basketball he’s most comfortable.

That leaves room for a strong combination with Mike Conley and Rudy Gobert playing alongside Reid. In 159 minutes this season, that three-man grouping has a net rating of plus-10.9, leaning on dominant defensive metrics and a slower pace that would seem to fit with Gobert and Conley. Also, while Anthony Edwards and Randle has not been a negative pairing for Minnesota this season, it makes sense for the Wolves to always have one on the floor. So, splitting sizeable chunks of their minutes is logical.

The more Minnesota can tap into those lineups that seem to possess a natural chemistry — something the starting five has largely lacked — the better the Wolves will likely be.

That’s not to say it’s enough to turn around a season. It’s tough to win at a high clip in the NBA if you start and finish games poorly, as Minnesota has done of late. It still remains to be seen if the starting five can ever become the team’s best five, and be a lineup upon which Wolves coach Chris Finch can rely to successfully open and close games.

But the stretches of strong play in the middle of contests provide more examples of what works for Minnesota, and the coaching staff can use those data points as the basis for decisions moving forward. Uncovering successful combinations within the roster does at least give Finch and Co. options.

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