MINNEAPOLIS — Even during a loss to the Pelicans earlier this season, the familiar sense of dread that something was going to go wrong was absent from Target Center. That dread has made a home at Target Center and often comes out when the Wolves are playing a team they should beat.
The Wolves led for most of Monday night's contest against the Magic, who had lost six of its first seven games, but they weren't winning how they should. The offense was jagged, as it has been and the Wolves let an inferior opponent hang around amid a lifeless crowd — until that opponent eventually overtook them.
If the Wolves have designs on a play-in or playoff berth, nights like Monday can't happen, when the Wolves dropped another winnable game at home to Orlando 115-97.
The loss was costly in another department as D'Angelo Russell exited at halftime because of a right ankle sprain after going 1-for-8. There was no immediate word on Russell's status going forward.
Cole Anthony, who hit a buzzer beater for a win last season at Target Center, caught fire for Orlando in the fourth quarter as the Magic made its push to overtake a Wolves team disinterested in pulling away. After barely leading the other three quarters, Orlando barely trailed in the fourth.
Anthony hit his first four shots of the quarter, while Mo Wagner hit a pair of threes and put home a thunderous dunk on Jarred Vanderbilt that put an exclamation mark on the night for Orlando.
Anthony finished with 31 while Wagner had 28. Minnehaha Academy's Jalen Suggs started and scored 12 points in his return home. Mo Bamba added 15 points and 14 rebounds.
Anthony Edwards had 24 for the Wolves while Karl-Anthony Towns had 23 points and 15 rebounds.
One of the emphases coach Chris Finch had for the Wolves this offseason was to reduce the number of fouls on defense. The first quarter was not the kind of quarter Finch had in mind.
The Wolves committed nine fouls with Jaden McDaniels getting three. This put the Magic in the bonus early and allowed it to hang around despite shooting only 6 of 19.
Orlando made 12 of 15 from the line to stay within 32-26 after the first.
The Wolves stopped fouling in the second quarter and momentarily, at least, they regained control of the game. A 10-3 run gave them a 44-31 lead at the 7 minutes, 27 second mark as Edwards hit a three, got a layup in transition and the Wolves forced nine turnovers in the quarter.
The offense went stagnant over the next 4:25 and scored just two points in that timespan. That gap allowed the Magic to tie the score. The first half was also a physical one for the Wolves, who were already down Patrick Beverley because of left calf soreness. Towns momentarily left the bench area after he was nursing an apparent sore right thumb.
Bamba gave a forearm shiver to Reid as he was rolling down the line, though Reid would return. Then Russell left the game at halftime because of the right ankle sprain and did not return.
Jordan McLaughlin took over point guard duties to start the second half and the Wolves and the Wolves pushed their lead back to double digits. But the Wolves just couldn't execute on offense on a consistent enough basis. The defense was showing up, but then it failed to in the fourth, when Orlando scored 43.
Orlando continued chipping away at the Wolves' lead in the fourth quarter and eventually took an 83-79 as Cole Anthony hit two straight 3s to cause Finch to call timeout. Nothing helped. The Wolves have had designs on taking a leap forward this season. Monday showed they're not off the ground.
