On Wednesday night, the Minnesota Timberwolves’ frustrating loss to the Memphis Grizzlies didn’t just end in a 116–110 defeat. It also produced one of the most talked-about moments of the night, and it didn’t come from a player on the floor.
An interesting moment occurred when the Timberwolves’ head coach, Chris Finch, was caught on a hot microphone as he went on an expletive-laden rant directed at the referee in the waning moments of the fourth quarter. The rant quickly went viral on social media and became one of the most discussed topics.
Why Chris Finch Exploded at the Referee in the Fourth Quarter
Minnesota entered the night with a decent 17–9 record and appeared determined to protect home court, but the Grizzlies executed better down the stretch. In the final minute of the game, as emotions boiled over, the broadcast audio captured Finch berating an official over what he believed were missed calls in the final moments.
“Shut the fuck up, man. You just blew two calls; you did so. You fucking know it. You fucking know it,” Finch said.
“Shut the fuck up, man. You just blew two calls, you did so. You fucking know it. You fucking know it” – Chris Finch pic.twitter.com/7SbUVB2pue
— Timberwolves Clips (@WolvesClips) December 18, 2025
In the clip, we can hear Finch accusing the referee of missing two crucial calls in the endgame and continuing to argue while attempting to explain a controversial sequence from the fourth quarter. The moment was brief on screen but loud enough to be unmistakable, instantly spreading across X and other platforms within minutes.
Memphis closed the game with a strong fourth quarter, outscoring the Timberwolves 28–27 to seal the win and hand Minnesota a disappointing loss. The defeat broke a two-game winning streak that the Timberwolves were riding.
In the post-game press conference, Finch discussed the Timberwolves’ offense, acknowledging that their offensive performance was off tonight and accepting that their shot selection and decision-making during the game were subpar.
“I thought that was a horrendous night offensively,” Finch said. “Our offensive decision-making was awful all night, shot selection, turnovers, execution… yeah, it was just not very good.”
Julius Randle scored the highest with 21 points for the Timberwolves, followed by 19 points added by Donte DiVincenzo. Meanwhile, for the Grizzlies, Jaren Jackson had a great night, scoring 28 points, grabbing 12 rebounds, and dishing out three assists during his 33 minutes of play.
The Timberwolves are currently the sixth seed in the Western Conference with 17 victories and 10 losses. Although they are having a decent season, they have yet to find the momentum to sustain their winning streak.
Next up, the Timberwolves will face the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday night.
