The Minnesota Timberwolves still await their next opponent for the Western Conference Semi-Finals. After eliminating the Los Angeles Lakers with their 103-96 victory in Game 5 on Wednesday night, Minnesota has time to rest and prepare for either the Houston Rockets or Golden State Warriors.
Although Minnesota’s depth appeared to be too much for the Lakers, their Game 5 victory wasn’t the prettiest. Charlie Walton of Zone Coverage broke down stats from Stathead that need to be addressed for the next round of the playoffs.
“The Timberwolves shot 14.9% on 47 three-point attempts in Game 5. It’s the first time in NBA playoff history that a team shot at least 25 threes in a game on 15% or less and still won. The all-time record is now 1-10,” Walton tweeted.
Of all ten teams to attempt 25 or more threes and shoot less than 15%, the Timberwolves are the only team that managed to still win the game. In last year’s playoffs, the Miami Heat stamped their name in the same record book when they lost to the Boston Celtics 118-84. In that game, the Heat attempted 29 three-pointers and shot 10% from beyond the arc.
As a team that ranked fourth in the league in three-point percentage, the Timberwolves shot 37.7% from beyond the arc in the regular season. While doing so, they also ranked fifth in the league in three-point attempts with 39.9 per game.
The fact that Minnesota shot just 14.9% in their Game 5 victory says a lot about how the Lakers played in that series. That performance will not cut it against a young, up-and-coming Rockets team or a veteran team like the Warriors.
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