It was unanimous across the board in Minnesota’s locker room Monday that the Wolves lost their game against the Indiana Pacers with their unprofessional start. They took a depleted team lightly.

But Minnesota still led by as many as five points in the final minutes of regulation and overtime and simply couldn’t close the deal. That has been a common theme this season for the Wolves, who are 18-24 in clutch-time contests and getting outscored by 7.6 points per 100 possessions in that situations, 23rd in the NBA.

Sure, Indiana demonstrated some high-level shotmaking at critical junctures, but that’s something it seemed Minnesota could counteract against Pacers lineups that lacked Grade A defenders. And, for the most part, that was true. The Wolves shot 16 free throws between the fourth quarter and overtime, and were 6 for 9 in the paint in the fourth quarter.

So why did they lose? Because even with that interior dominance, Minnesota took far too many contested jumpers with the game in the balance.

What else is new?

That’s been the M.O. of Anthony Edwards-led teams for years now. Three ill-advised shots, all 3-point attempts, from the superstar guard can be cited from late in Monday’s defeat — a stepback and two taken off the bounce at the breakpoint of the arc, one on the final play of regulation. None of them went in.

“I just thought, at times, when we had a chance to take control of the game, we were wild,” Wolves coach Chris Finch said. “There was a sequence with contested threes, deep bomb threes. Playing too fast, out of control. There was no need for it. It was unnecessary. And when we had them on the ropes … we come down and take a contested three.”

Edwards declined comment after the game, but Julius Randle said Minnesota “just didn’t play a smart game overall.” Indiana could only defend Minnesota on Monday when the Wolves allowed it to do so.

“I thought there were just some opportunities where we settled. I’d call it settling. We shot some threes contested,” veteran guard Mike Conley said. “We had some good looks. I thought Donte had some good ones, Jaden had a good one. But other than that, we’ve got to know time and score. We’re up two, get downhill. We’re getting to the free-throw line at will when we get down there and create for each other.”

Finch said there are several different ways to close out games beyond just making game-winning shots. Composure — playing smart, situational basketball — can be a key ingredient.

“That’s what we’ve not been able to do all season long is, in that moment, be able to have the composure and the ability to just take control of the game,” Finch said. “Then it becomes a shot-making thing.”

The Wolves have lost that contest a lot. Because the shots Minnesota gets late in games are often difficult. Conley was quick to note that’s not a result of coaching.

“We just make the wrong decision on a play that is, for the better part, the right play,” Conley said. “We’ve just got to make the right pass.”

He said that has to be corrected with film study. It’s a must for Minnesota because these late-game situations will continue to present themselves as the Wolves work their way toward the postseason.

“We have to be able to execute,” Conley said. “We have to be able to make the right reads at the right time. That’s just on us as players.”

Conley said Minnesota cannot rely on one guy.

“We put so much on Ant. Ant can get tired, get fatigued late,” Conley said. “Sometimes, it might just be on me to go get the ball and get it to Julius or run action with Naz or Jaden or somebody else, just to get him to relax in the corner for a second and play decoy for a couple possessions.

“We have to grow to that. We have to be able to do that. Because he does so much, and you can’t blame him for everything, because he carries us so much. As a unit, we have to be better.”