If I felt that the magic bullet was changing the starting lineup, I would’ve done that already,” head coach Chris Finch told reporters after a blowout loss in Detroit on

Two days after Timberwolves coach Chris Finch defended keeping the same starting five, he changed his lineup against the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday night at Target Center.

The Minnesota Timberwolves' starting lineup has played the second-most minutes of any five-man lineup combination in the NBA. Only the starting unit of Tom Thibodeau's New York Knicks has played more — and far more — minutes together.

The high point for Minnesota in Tuesday’s loss in Oklahoma City was a Mike Conley flurry in which the veteran guard drilled three consecutive triples to put the Timberwolves up 12 midway through the third. The wheels fell off immediately after, but that is a major part of what Minnesota believes to be the recipe for the current starting lineup.

Putting DiVincenzo in the starting lineup also gives him a role closer to what he had in New York last season when he thrived as a spark-plug shooter and defender for the Knicks. He started 68 games in the regular season and every playoff game for New York.

At their shootaround Monday morning, Timberwolves coach Chris Finch had a question for veteran point guard Mike Conley. Finch asked Conley if it was OK to take him out of the starting lineup for Monday's game against the Clippers.

When the Minnesota Timberwolves acquired Donte DiVincenzo in the offseason, many assumed he would become Anthony Edwards’ backcourt running mate. Instead, Chris Finch stuck with 37-year-old Mike Conley in the starting lineup for most of the first 34 games of 2024-2025 until he finally cracked on Jan.