MINNEAPOLIS — This is how a losing streak builds.
The Timberwolves were playing well and had won seven of eight, then illness knocks a few guys out of the lineup, injuries claim others. The best players on the team, Karl-Anthony Towns and D'Angelo Russell, each miss time because of seemingly minor injuries and the schedule gets a little tougher. All this throws everything out of rhythm.
Now, instead of the good vibes that permeated the Wolves last week, they have now lost four in a row, the latest coming 136-104 to Utah on Wednesday at Target Center.
December is shaping up to be the toughest month on the Wolves' schedule with many opponents .500 or better, and the Wolves have not won a game since the calendar turned.
Patrick Beverley returned from a six-game absence because of a left adductor strain, but Russell still sat out because of right ankle soreness. That affected the Wolves' depth and the Jazz exploited that, especially when coach Chris Finch had to turn to his reserves.
Utah had no trouble against the Wolves' improved defense and scored at will at the rim and shot 50 of 88 for the night, 16 of 19 from the restricted area around the rim. Atlanta and Utah entered Target Center with some of the best offenses in the NBA and left with easy victories.
Donovan Mitchell scored 36 while Bojan Bogdanovic had 21 for the Jazz. Karl-Anthony Towns finished with 22 for the Wolves. Anthony Edwards added 18 and Beverley had 16 in his return.
With Russell still out, Beverley handled primary point guard responsibilities. He had his floater working early as the Wolves opened a 12-5 lead.
The Wolves' offense operated much smoother early with Beverley running the show than it did Monday against Atlanta.
Their defense didn't click right away, however. Utah came out just as hot as the Wolves, especially Mitchell, who had 17 first-quarter points. The Jazz entered the night with the most efficient offense in the league and finished the first quarter shooting 57%, 40% from three-point range. The Wolves shot 59%, but their offense declined from there.
Finch tried to buy some time with Beverley, Edwards and Towns, who had only two shot attempts in the first half, all on the bench early in the second quarter. The all-bench unit couldn't hold it together and Utah opened the second on a 15-6 run to grab a 49-39 lead point lead, its largest of the half.
Finch slowly started working back in his starters, and the Wolves retook the lead with a 10-0 run capped by a three-pointer from Edwards. The Jazz went into halftime with a 60-59 lead as the Wolves couldn't stop them getting to the rim. Edwards and Beverley combined for 29 of those 59 points. The Wolves were able to get three fouls on Rudy Gobert by the end of the second quarter.
The Wolves got Gobert to pick up his fourth foul on their third offensive possession of the third quarter. But the Jazz increased its lead with Gobert out and led by as much as 12. Towns started taking more shots, but the Wolves overall started making fewer. They shot just 8 of 24 for the quarter as the game started to slip.
When Utah wasn't hitting from deep, it found its greatest success attacking the basket on the Wolves and shot 25 of 34 from inside the three-point line for the game. That helped them build a 95-81 lead after three quarters, a lead the Wolves wouldn't be able to cut into the fourth as Utah hushed the crowd and showed the Wolves how far they have to go to be true contenders in the Western Conference.
