Ayo Dosunmu Fits in Brilliantly, Wolves Blast Hawks in NAW's Return

In his second game with his new team, Ayo Dosunmu showed why he was exactly the player the Timberwolves needed to acquire before the trade deadline.

Dosunmu's Minnesota debut, when he went -33 in a blowout loss to the Clippers, can be tossed aside. That was a strange game in which no one in a Timberwolves jersey played well. Monday night's contest against the Hawks was a much better representation of what the former Bulls guard is going to bring to the Wolves down the stretch of this season (and for years to come, they hope).

Playing 30 minutes off of the bench, Dosunmu scored 21 points on 9-of-13 shooting and chipped in 3 assists, a steal, and a block. His speed and aggressiveness in transition were a big reason why the Wolves were able to pull away late in the second quarter and build a 25-point halftime lead in an eventual 138-116 victory.

Dosunmu, who is shooting 45 percent from three this season, hit two of those on four tries. When left open, he is lethal from long range. But what stood out even more about his performance on Monday was the way Dosunmu got to the rim. Six of his seven two-point makes were right-handed layups where he got all the way to the basket. He is a decisive straight-line driver with the burst to fly by defenders in transition or against a closeout in halfcourt offense.

Ayo Dosunmu 21 PTS, 3 AST, 1 STL, 1 BLK, 9/13 FG, 2/4 3FG, 78.1% TS vs Hawks https://t.co/Rm3QqV7h6Z pic.twitter.com/z89QpQH9zL
— Basketball Performances (@NBAPerformances) February 10, 2026

"It's huge," head coach Chris Finch said. "What I love about him he's just kinda straight line, he sees an angle, he takes it. He doesn't overcomplicate anything. Puts his shoulder down and he's got a nice little finishing touch."

As a collective unit, the Timberwolves came out with a lot more energy in this one than they brought in their last two disappointing losses against the Pelicans and Clippers. Their focus was on playing fast and playing connected basketball, with Finch crediting assistant coach Pablo Prigioni for showing the team a video cut-up of what it looks like when they're moving the ball and operating cohesively. It showed on Monday.

The Wolves benefited from getting a Hawks team that didn't have star player Jalen Johnson or starting guard Dyson Daniels. Still, they don't always handle business against inferior opponents like they did in this one. The Wolves scored 41 points in the first quarter and dominated in a 40-22 second quarter, tying a franchise record for points in a first half. In that second quarter, they made 17 of 25 shots from the floor and held the Hawks to 6-of-24 shooting with five turnovers.

For the game, Minnesota shot just under 60 percent from the field and had 36 assists on 55 makes. This is right up there with their best offensive performance all season, alongside a blowout win in Milwaukee on January 13.

And it was a total team effort. Anthony Edwards led the way with 30 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists. Julius Randle had his third triple double of the season with 18, 12, and 10. Edwards and Randle, who sometimes fall into too much isolation basketball, played off of one another excellently. Dosunmu had 21. Jaden McDaniels had 18 points — including several violent dunks — and 4 blocks. Rudy Gobert also had 18. Bones Hyland, who chipped in 13 points and 5 assists, has made 13 of his last 25 threes.

Julius Randle and Anthony Edwards | Brad Rempel-Imagn Images

The only player in the Wolves' top eight who really struggled was Naz Reid, who missed all five threes he took and then got tossed in the third quarter after an altercation with Atlanta's Mohamed Gueye.

"Quick decision-making, a lot of next-action basketball," Finch said. "Unlocked a lot of great shots, cutting off the ball. I thought Julius and Ant were really great in that. They led the way, making those quick decisions."

The Wolves were able to withstand an early flurry from C.J. McCollum, who had 18 points in the first quarter and finished with 38. The Hawks also got 23 points and 12 rebounds from Nickeil Alexander-Walker in his first game at Target Center since leaving the Wolves last offseason. NAW was honored with a tribute video and standing ovation before the game, and he swapped jerseys with Edwards afterwards.

NAW & ANT exchange jerseys after their duel tonight 🤝 pic.twitter.com/GnDnV16bHZ
— NBA (@NBA) February 10, 2026

At 33-22, the Wolves are in the No. 6 seed but are just 1.5 games back of the Nuggets at No. 3. Minnesota's final game before the All-Star break comes against the 26-28 Trail Blazers on Wednesday at Target Center.

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