Confidence grows as Timberwolves annihilate Pelicans
Another night and another dominant performance by the Minnesota Timberwolves as they thumped the New Orleans Pelicans 122-101 Wednesday night in Minneapolis.
New Orleans played without Zion Williamson and C.J. McCollum and had no business beating Minnesota, and the Wolves never let them sniff victory after bullying the Pelicans 44-20 in the second quarter to lead by 28 points at the half. And Minnesota kept the pedal to the metal in the second half before pulling star players halfway through the fourth quarter.
We talked about how dangerous the Wolves could be if Towns starting making shots and that happened against the Pelicans as Towns hit 9-of-12 shots including 4-of-5 from 3-point range and finished with 23 points in 28 minutes before fouling out in the fourth quarter.
It was also the fifth time this season and fourth straight game the Wolves have held their opponent under 40% shooting.
- Denver: 39.6%
- Utah: 38.5%
- Boston: 39.1%
- New Orleans: 38.7%
Anthony Edwards finished with 28 points and 8 assists and finished a game-best +35 when on the court. That means Minnesota outscored the Pelicans by 35 points during Edwards' 33 minutes in the game.
Rudy Gobert flashed with 17 points and 20 rebounds and he hit 9-of-12 free throws after making just 2-of-11 in Minnesota's win over Boston on Monday night.
"I'm really proud of the way we are defending right now. We still have a lot of room to improve but we're doing to do that every night," Gobert said on Bally Sports North.
The Timberwolves are 5-2 overall with all five victories coming at home. They're 0-2 on the road heading into their Friday night In-Season Tournament game against Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs in San Antonio.
Nov 8, 2023; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards (5) dribbles against the New Orleans Pelicans in the second quarter at Target Center.
Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports
