Timberwolves held players-only meeting at OKC steakhouse after Chris Finch’s ‘lifeless’ callout

The Minnesota Timberwolves walked out of Paycom Center with a 113–105 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder that eliminated them from the NBA Cup and extended their slide to three straight defeats. They now sit at 10–8, seventh in the West, a position that reflects both real talent and real slippage. And after Chris Finch called his Timberwolves players “lifeless” during the collapse against the Sacramento Kings, the message hung over the team like arena smoke.

Timberwolves Gather for Players-Only Dinner

The answer didn’t come in a film session. It didn’t come in a heated Timberwolves locker-room exchange. Instead, it came at Mahogany Prime Steakhouse on Tuesday night, where the Timberwolves gathered for a players-only dinner meant to restore connection. The goal wasn’t accountability. It was reconnection. And while no one treated it like a crisis summit, it worked as a reset: a moment to breathe and a chance to feel like themselves again after a disappointing NBA Cup exit.

Mike Conley explained the tone perfectly. “It’s the perfect time to bring it all back together, perspective, who we want to be, what we want to accomplish on the court, how we can be better as a team, as players,” the Timberwolves veteran said. “But also, it’s OK to eat, enjoy each other and watch other basketball games and talk basketball and not be all about business all the time. Sometimes you need that.”

So this wasn’t a clearing of the air. Instead, it was an attempt to reclaim the Timberwolves’ rhythm. Chris Finch saw the disconnect early. After the loss to the Kings, he told them they looked “lifeless,” a word that cut deeper because it matched what they felt. Julius Randle sensed it too. “Just get that connectivity back,” he said. “I think we’ve been missing that on this trip. It’s not like us.”

And even after the loss to the Thunder, the Timberwolves didn’t panic. They regrouped. They chose fellowship over frustration. Now the question shifts to what comes next, and whether this quiet dinner becomes the spark that steadies the Timberwolves before the standings tighten again.

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