MINNEAPOLIS — For most of this season, the crowds at Target Center have been unlike any others in recent years, with good vibes and positive energy replacing frustration and consternation.
Those in attendance Tuesday did something they haven't done much in this resurgent season — booed in the fourth quarter.
That happened in Washington's 132-114 victory over the Wolves as the Wizards went ahead by 21 points in the fourth quarter. The second half was a disaster for the Wolves, a defensive meltdown that threatened to undo all their hard work in attempting to reach a guaranteed playoff spot at the No. 6 seed.
That was in danger of happening and depended on Denver and Utah both winning later games, but at the very least, the Wolves missed an opportunity to gain precious ground if either lost.
It has been a while since the Wolves lost a game they shouldn't have to a lesser opponent — March 11 against Orlando to be exact. They picked a terrible time to do it again to a Washington team that was without Bradley Beal.
As Karl-Anthony Towns exited the game with 3 minutes, 46 seconds remaining and the Wolves down 22, he smacked the front of the media seating area, sending a loud vibration through the section.
The culprit in the loss was the Wolves' defensive effort, which seemed like the team forgot to pack it following its recent four-game road trip.
Washington shot 55%, 43% from 3-point range and scored 72 points in the paint. The booing came after Washington scored multiple times consecutively at the rim as the Wolves had no answer on either end of the floor. Kristaps Porzingis had 25 points while Daniel Gafford had 24 points off the bench. Towns had 26 points to lead Minnesota while D'Angelo Russell had 17 points and 11 assists and Anthony Edwards had 18 points.
They set the tone from the start as Washington shot 63% in the first quarter while the Wolves tried to stay bucket for bucket with them. Towns (26 points) was up to the task early with 15 points, four rebounds and three assists in the first half. Towns' performance helped Minnesota shoot 52% in the first half.
The Wolves were playing their first game back from a lengthy four-game road trip that criss-crossed three different time zones, went up into Canada and ended down south in Texas.
Perhaps that explained some of their sluggishness on defense. That continued into the second quarter as Washington finished the first having shot 58%.
Porzingis finished the half with 13 points while Beasley continued his offensive surge with 14 in the first half. Neither team led by more than six in the first 24 minutes and there were 14 lead changes as baskets weren't hard to come by. Both teams also shot over 40% from 3-point range but the Wizards dominated points in the paint (38-18).
They went into the locker room down 67-66.
One team cooled off in the second half. It wasn't the Wizards. Gas prices be damned, Washington kept the pedal to the floor in the third quarter and with the help of a 9-0 run built a 12-point lead, the largest of the night.
Porzingis had himself a quarter with 12 points as the nervous energy began to build in Target Center. The Wolves did respond with a 9-1 run of their own to cut Washington's lead to 97-93 before allowing the final four points of the quarter.
The night only got worse from there. With dunk after dunk, layup after layup, the Wizards stomped on the Wolves' chances of the sixth seed. Like the crowd, all the Wolves did was watch.
