Nothing went particularly well for the Timberwolves on Monday at Target Center, even in victory.

Minnesota didn’t carry over any momentum from its masterpiece Saturday against Denver. The Wolves weren’t sharp nor effective in their 100-92 win over the depleted Atlanta Hawks. So, while it was Minnesota’s third straight victory, it was far from inspiring.

At one point at the end of the first quarter, an object fell down from the jumbotron and landed just a few feet away from Rudy Gobert.

It was an apt metaphor for the evening — near disaster, but no harm done. Well, almost no harm.

The game took a physical toll on the Wolves, as well. Nickeil Alexander-Walker had to be helped off the floor by his teammate in the fourth quarter after suffering what appeared to be a foot or ankle injury. Naz Reid also appeared to hurt his shoulder in the final frame, only to return to action after having the shoulder heavily iced on the bench.

Minnesota led by 17 points at the half, but looked entirely disinterested for much of the night. The train fell off the tracks in a third quarter in which Minnesota had nine turnovers to just five made shots.

That allowed Atlanta to get back into the contest, and it hung around until the bitter end. Jaden McDaniels finally notched the game-sealing steal with 15 seconds to play and the Wolves up six.

De’Andre Hunter finished with 35 points as the only Atlanta player to go north of 13 points on a night where the Hawks were without Trae Young, Dyson Daniels, Jalen Johnson and Bogdan Bogdanovic. Both teams shot exactly 39.5% from the floor, while combining for 40 turnovers.

Gobert had 18 points and 10 rebounds for Minnesota. Anthony Edwards had a team-high 23 points and Julius Randle added 20.

Related Articles

Anthony Edwards dominates as Timberwolves explode to trounce Denver

Timberwolves receive positive injury news on Donte DiVincenzo

Mike Conley plays best game of season in Timberwolves’ win in Dallas

Jace Frederick: Just ‘Anthony Edwards’ isn’t a good enough clutch-time formula for the Timberwolves

Donte DiVincenzo-less Timberwolves crumble late in loss to Memphis