By Chase Hughes (@chasedcsports)
The Washington Wizards lost to the Minnesota Timberwolves 130-121 on Tuesday night. Here are three things that stood out about the game...
Heading home
The Wizards got out to a hot start in Minnesota, but couldn't sustain it against one of the NBA's top teams, as they lost to the Timberwolves to close out a quick two-game road trip.
The Wizards played this game without their entire center rotation, as rookie Tristan Vukcevic is now sidelined due to left knee soreness. His absence was added to a list that already included Marvin Bagley III and Richaun Holmes. That was all in addition to Tyus Jones, Kyle Kuzma, Bilal Coulibaly and others being out.
Undermanned and undersized, the Wizards found themselves in a physical battle where players hitting the ground was a common sight. Complicating matters was a -15 deficit in free throw attempts, as they went 13-for-17 from the line and Minnesota made 26-of-32.
Washington shot 50% for the game overall and 47.6% from three, making 20 triples in total which was just one short of their franchise record. Corey Kispert led the team with 25 points and Jordan Poole had 24, with each of them making five threes.
Anthony Edwards of the Timberwolves was a big reason for their turnaround with a career-high 51 points. Minnesota also enjoyed a 50-40 edge in paint points and a 22-8 advantage in points off turnovers.
Huge first quarter
Despite missing so many players, the Wizards jumped out to their best start of the entire season. They scored 44 points in the first quarter, a season-high for a single frame. That was also the most points the Timberwolves have allowed in any quarter despite Minnesota boasting the best defensive rating in the NBA.
The Wizards were on from the opening tip. They scored the game's first eight points, grew that lead to 19-5 and had it peak at 21 points when they held a 44-23 advantage. The Wizards made a franchise-record nine threes in the first quarter. They shot 63% overall in the frame. It was an offensive clinic.
During the first quarter the Timberwolves also lost Naz Reid to an ejection, which left them thin at the big man position with Karl-Anthony Towns still out due to injury. That helped balance the scales a bit with the Wizards missing so much of their frontcourt.
Davis played well
This was one of Johnny Davis' best offensive games of the season. He had 10 points (3-4 FG), his most since Nov. 3 when he scored a season-high 11. Davis made a smooth corner three in the first quarter and knocked down a pair of free throws at the end of the third quarter when Rudy Gobert fouled him on a last-second heave.
Davis has been a bit banged up lately, dealing with both a hip and ankle injury in recent days. But he looked good on Tuesday while also handling some tough defensive assignments against the Timberwolves' dynamic backcourt of Edwards and Mike Conley Jr. Davis now has two more games to work with as he aims to finish his sophomore season strong.
The same could be said for Patrick Baldwin Jr., who also had a solid game on the offensive end in this one. He followed up his season-high 16 points on Sunday with 15 points against the Timberwolves, shooting 6-for-11 from the field.
Up next: The Wizards return to D.C. for their final home game of the season as they host the Chicago Bulls on Friday night with a 7 p.m. tip-off.