South Florida Sun-Sentinel (Sunday)
Butler calls out team after loss to NBA’s worst
In the wake of a pair of lopsided road losses, the Miami Heat arrived to Minneapolis in need of relief.
In front of them were the league-worst Minnesota Timberwolves, a team that had lost its previous two home games by 30 and 25 points.
So Jimmy Butler went into attack mode, with 25 points through three quarters.
All of which added up to ... abject desperation and, ultimately, a humbling 119-111 loss Friday night at Target Center.
“We don’t deserve to win,” Butler said. “Whenever we take these teams lightly, we don’t do what we’re supposed to do on the defensive end, we just look bad, as a whole, as a group, as a unit. It’s not good basketball.”
With Karl-Anthony Towns back for the ‘Wolves after missing those two previous losses, the Timberwolves sized up as far more than a 14-42 opponent, while the Heat very much looked like a team teetering now at .500.
“Hell, if we want to go out there and guard somebody, and if we want to box out and rebound, it could be good,” Butler said. “If we don’t want to do that, and if we want to do what we’ve been doing for these past couple of games, we’ll be bad. I don’t know.
“It’s on us to figure it out. I can’t tell you which way we’re going to go. I don’t know what team is going to show up on any given night.”
Butler led the Heat with 30 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists, with Trevor Ariza adding a season-high 21 points, Bam Adebayo 17 and Goran Dragic 15.
“You just think we’re such a good team, and then reality hits us, we’re humbled,” Butler said. “And I’m glad. Because that’s what this game does to you, home, away, no matter what opponent you’re playing against, you just stroll into the game thinking you’re nice, you’re good, this is what happens. If we don’t fix it, I hope it continues to happen to us.”
Towns led the Timberwolves with 24 points, supported by 17 from Ricky Rubio.
“Speechless,” Adebayo said. “We shouldn’t have lost that game.”