Chris Finch turns the heat on Anthony Edwards and Timberwolves for "diabolical" mistake in Game 1 loss

With Steph Curry missing most of the night due to injury, Game 1 was ripe for the taking, but the Minnesota Timberwolves let the opportunity slip, falling flat at home in a 99-88 loss to the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday.

Minnesota’s offense faltered all game long, as it shot 17.2% from 3 (5-for-29), turned the ball over 16 times and never found any rhythm. Anthony Edwards led the team with 23 points, but he struggled early, going 0-for-8 in the first half and scoring just one point by halftime.

In the postgame press conference, Timberwolves coach Chris Finch singled out one glaring issue: poor transition execution.

"Our transition decision-making was diabolical," Finch said. "Obviously, we couldn't hit a shot, but I didn't like the fact that we couldn't repeatedly generate good shots. We should've been able to."

The Timberwolves generated 18 turnovers, but they failed to convert those chances into easy buckets, managing just 10 fas-break points. That was a surprising development, as they ranked third in the playoffs during the first round with 16.0 fastbreak points per game.

Interestingly, both teams made the same number of field goals — 34 — with Golden State taking 87 shots to Minnesota’s 86. But the key difference came from beyond the arc: the Warriors knocked down 18 3s, while the Timberwolves connected on just five.

Anthony Edwards couldn’t find a rhythm early, and his quiet first half, where he had just one point, gave the Warriors all the momentum, allowing them to take a 44-31 halftime lead.

Finch said the team’s energy dipped along with Edwards’ confidence.

“It starts with Anthony,” he said. "I thought he struggled, and then you could just kind of see the light go out a little bit for a while."

Julius Randle finished with 18 points on a chilly 4-for-11 shooting. Jaden McDaniels added 12 points on 12 shots, and Rudy Gobert was held to nine points and 11 rebounds.

Naz Reid brought some life off the bench, putting up 19 points on an efficient 8-for-14 shooting clip.

Chris Finch says Timberwolves Anthony Edwards should have made up for poor shooting effort with more energy

Edwards was a force in the first round against the Lakers, averaging 26.8 points, 8.4 rebounds and 6.2 assists while shooting 42.0% overall and 33.3% from deep. But in Game 1, even after a late push, he ended up at 40.9% from the field and just 20.0% from deep.

"You're the leader of the team. You've got to come out and set the tone," Finch said of Edwards. "If your shot is not going, you still have to carry the energy. If I've got to talk to guys about having the right energy coming into an opening second-round game, then we're not on the same page."

The Timberwolves will now look to bounce back on their home floor in Game 2, set for Thursday.