SALT LAKE CITY – The Timberwolves knew December was going to be a daunting month. Entering it every team on their schedule was .500 or better. They didn't know that COVID-19 would wreak havoc on their roster and around the NBA as they went through it, making it daunting for another reason.
One reason the schedule was so tough was Utah was on it three times, and three times Utah put the Wolves on the losing side of the ledger, with this one a 120-108 Utah victory.
This one, like last week's Wolves loss, should have come as no surprise. Utah had most of its vital contributors, like Donovan Mitchell, Rudy Gobert and Bojan Bogdanovic. The Wolves got Anthony Edwards back from a six-game absence, but they were still without Karl-Anthony Towns and D'Angelo Russell.
The Wolves had enough to compete Friday night, but only for three quarters.
They led 87-86 after quarters but Utah ended the night early in the fourth with a 22-0 run in which it held the Wolves scoreless for 5 minutes, 11 seconds. Fans were able to get a jumpstart on their New Year's Eve plans as the Wolves ended the tough December 5-9.
Mitchell was a problem all night with 39 points. Bogdanovic had 24 while Jordan Clarkson pitched in 20. Edwards had little rust offensively in his first game back with 26 points, while Malik Beasley had 22 points in another good shooting night for him in Vivint Arena.
The Wolves got in foul trouble as a team early and often from the first few minutes. They committed 18 fouls in the first half and sent Utah to the line for 26 free-throw attempts. That was primarily responsible for Utah's 63-50 lead at the half.
The Jazz hit 7 of 13 3s. The Wolves hit the same number, but needed 10 more attempts to hit that mark.
Edwards looked like he didn't need much of a ramp up in his first game back from COVID-19 protocols and the Wolves hung around early before fouling allowed Utah to build its double-digit lead. Edwards opened by hitting three of his first seven shots. Beasley also hit a pair from the outside, but he was the only Wolves player to hit from 3-point range in the first quarter as Utah led 29-22.
The Jazz had 14 first-quarter free throws and the Wolves didn't learn their lesson in the second quarter either. Beasley and Edwards accounted for 28 of the Wolves' 50 points in the first half but they couldn't make up for the deficit at the free-throw line. The Wolves had just eight attempts (hitting only three) while two Jazz players, Bogdanovic and Gobert, had eight on their own.
Things went better for the Wolves in the third, but the surge was short-lived. Utah went to the line just six times and shot 8 of 21 in the quarter. The Wolves, specifically Edwards, took advantage of Utah's lacking interior defense as Hassan Whiteside left the game because of concussion symptoms. The Wolves used a 16-6 run to cut the lead to one and they were able to take the lead 79-78 on a Jaden McDaniels jumper.
Edwards scored 13 as he attacked the rim consistently with success. That led to a 13 of 23 output for the Wolves in the third as they led 87-86 entering the fourth.
Mitchell restored order for Utah as he started the Jazz on its 18-0 run that put the game away.
After a Utah win earlier in the month, Edwards and Patrick Beverley took some shots at Gobert's defensive reputation. Gobert ended the night in the fourth with a swat of Beverley, a flex for the crowd and an exclamation point on a December sweep of the Wolves for Utah.
