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Nov 3, 2025; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves forward Julius Randle (30) tries to drive past Brooklyn Nets forward Noah Clowney (21) during the first half at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: John Jones-Imagn Images John Jones-Imagn Images

Takeaways from Nets Home Loss To The Timberwolves

Originally posted on Brooklyn Nets on SI | By Zach Hiney | Last updated Nov 3, 2025 10:09 PM ET

After another loss on Sunday night, the Nets returned to the court for the second night of a back-to-back, looking to avoid a 0-7 start to the new season.

Standing in their way was a Minnesota Timberwolves team without star guard Anthony Edwards. The Nets battled for over three quarters, but it ultimately didn't matter. The Timberwolves pulled away in the fourth quarter en route to a 125-109 win, dropping Brooklyn to 0-7 on the season.

Here are the three biggest takeaways from the Nets loss to the Timberwolves.

1. First Quarter Improvements

The first quarter has been a huge problem for Brooklyn all season, but they played their best opening frame of the season on Monday. Brooklyn ended the first in a 28-28 tie with Minnesota, the first time all season the Nets haven't trailed at the end of the first quarter. They did it without Michael Porter Jr., who missed the game for a personal reason, which makes it all the more impressive.

The defense looked better, and the Nets made a conscious effort to get to the basket and draw fouls. While some missed free throws prevented the Nets from having a lead at the end of the quarter, it was a massive improvement from Jodi Fernandez's team. Starting games like that will give the Nets a much better chance of picking up wins.

2. Depth Scoring Showed Up

.@NoahClowney buries his fourth triple!

@NBAonNBC pic.twitter.com/QrcpoWYE1j
— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) November 4, 2025

With Porter Jr. missing the game, the Nets needed other scorers to step up alongside Cam Thomas to keep this a close game. They got exactly that, with numerous depth options showing up and showing out. Brooklyn had five players score in double figures, led by Thomas' 25 points. Noah Clowney, in particular, had a strong night. He went 4-12 from behind the arc after only being 4-22 from three to start the season.

The Nets will need that depth scoring to continue when Porter Jr. returns to the lineup. Thomas and Porter Jr. playing hero ball will only get Brooklyn so far this season. If the depth scoring can play the rest of the season like they did on Monday, the Nets will have a chance to outperform their current expectations.

3. Free Throw Misses Hurt

The Nets don't have the roster to win games with pure talent very often. They need to win games on the margins, which includes at the charity stripe. That didn't happen on Monday, as the Nets left a lot of points on the table. They went 25-38 from the free-throw line, with several of those misses coming in the first quarter.

Brooklyn entered the night top ten in the NBA in free-throw percentage, making almost 80% of their shots from the line. That will go down after their performance at the free-throw line on Monday. It's the small things that are often the difference in these close games, and the Nets' poor performance at the charity stripe cost them in a big way.

This article first appeared on Brooklyn Nets on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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