The Timberwolves locker room was quiet. And, for a quite a long time after Monday night's game with the Boston Celtics ended, mostly clear of players.
This one was hard.
The Wolves showed the Target Center fans a new wrinkle in a 99-93 loss to the Celtics. A team that had struggled so much in the third quarter this season waited until the fourth Monday. But the result was the same.
"Every time, after a game, most of the time we're talking about the third quarter," said center Karl-Anthony Towns, who had 29 points, 18 rebounds, three assists, two blocks and one big case of frustration.
"And it seems the third quarter was the fourth quarter. We have to squash that. We can't just move the third quarter to the fourth quarter."
In an absolutely stunning reversal, the Wolves played very well while building a 10-point halftime lead. The team came out the locker room and grew that lead to 13 after three. And then?
"Laid a damn egg," Zach LaVine said.
Isaiah Thomas scored 29 points, nine coming at the line. But, through three quarters, the Wolves had kept him off the line and under relative control. Al Horford scored 20 and Avery Bradley 13. But it was a group of mainly reserves that started this big Boston comeback.