Timberwolves’ Chris Finch puts his players on blast after ugly loss to Grizzlies

The Minnesota Timberwolves walked off the floor with frustration and bruised pride after a 137-128 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies, and Chris Finch did not hide his anger. Anthony Edwards scored 39 points and Jaden McDaniels added 29, but defense collapsed under the arena lights.

Chris Finch talked after the game about the Wolves' defensive issues and issues with competitiveness tonight.

When asked how to draw that out of the team, Finch said…

"Ask them. It's on them. They gotta come and put the work in. It can't be a sometimes thing." pic.twitter.com/rUaQOIdjwL

— Dane Moore (@DaneMooreNBA) February 3, 2026

Around the league, chaos already swirls with Giannis and James Harden trade talk dominating headlines. In Memphis, the Timberwolves created their own storm. The Grizzlies snapped a six-game losing streak, led wire to wire, and stretched their lead to 20 early in the fourth quarter behind dominance on the glass.

In a video posted by Dane Moore, Chris Finch pointed straight at effort and discipline. “It’s just defensively just what were the yeah, I mean we struggled with all the movement the closeout contained in the first half in particular,” he said. “And then the second half… you know, there’s a lot of foul. Especially when we tighten the game up we gave them eight straight free throws.” When asked about competitiveness, the Timberwolves coach did not soften the blow. “At times. Yeah, sure… Ask them. It’s on them. They got to come in and put the work on them. It can’t be a sometimes thing.”

A warning sign for the Timberwolves

The loss dropped Minnesota to 31-20, sixth in the West, with only four wins in its last 10 games. Memphis, now 19-29 and 11th in the conference, looked hungrier. The Timberwolves had points. They lacked resistance. Each Grizzlies run hit harder.

The game came during a week when Giannis and Harden ruled trade rumors and tilted the league. The Timberwolves surfaced as a dark-horse option in Giannis Antetokounmpo talks if Jaden McDaniels became available. James Harden floated the Timberwolves as a potential landing spot, fueling the buzz. Yet with the deadline approaching, the Timberwolves have turned their attention elsewhere. Finch’s message cut through it. Stars mean little without effort. Talent fades without urgency.

Minnesota still has firepower and promise, led by Anthony Edwards’ star power. Yet nights like this expose cracks that numbers cannot hide. Under pressure, the work must show. Now the question feels simple and heavy: will this loss spark a response, or deepen the slide?

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