New Orleans @ Minnesota preview
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Last Meeting ( Apr 9, 2023 ) New Orleans 108, Minnesota 113
The Minnesota Timberwolves will go for their fourth win in a row when they host the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday night in Minneapolis.
Minnesota is coming off a thrilling 114-109 overtime win against the Boston Celtics on Monday night. That followed victories over the Utah Jazz and Denver Nuggets.
A common theme during the Timberwolves' recent hot streak has been the continued emergence of Anthony Edwards, who has taken over as the team's top star. Edwards scored a game-high 38 points against the Celtics, including eight points in overtime, and he had nine rebounds and seven assists.
"He loves the moment," Minnesota coach Chris Finch said. "We still have to get better with closing out that game in regulation with our decision-making and ball movement. ... But guys who like the moment are often few and far between, and we're lucky we have one on our team."
New Orleans will try to slow down Edwards as it looks to regain its footing. The Pelicans won four of their first five games of the season but have since lost back-to-back contests against the Atlanta Hawks and Denver.
In its most recent setback, New Orleans allowed a season-high 134 points against the Nuggets.
Pelicans coach Willie Green said his team performed well in the first half but then got stagnant.
"We'll figure it out," Green said. "I'm not concerned at all. Sometimes teams go through this where they're trying to figure out each other. We're doing it in the first half, so we know we have the capability. Now, we just have to sustain it for 48 minutes."
Zion Williamson leads the Pelicans with 21.8 points per game on 50.5 percent shooting this season. He is also averaging 7.0 rebounds and 4.7 assists.
With CJ McCollum sidelined by a lung injury, Brandon Ingram is next on the Pelicans' scoring list with 20.8 points per game. Ingram is shooting 50 percent (16 of 32) since missing three games because of knee soreness.
For the Timberwolves, Edwards leads all scorers with 28.2 points per game on 52 percent shooting. Teammates Karl-Anthony Towns (16.7 points per game) and Naz Reid (15.7) rank second and third, and Rudy Gobert is averaging a double-double with 12.0 points and 12.3 rebounds.
The offensive numbers are nice, Gobert said, but the Timberwolves' defensive effort is even more important. In their last contest, they limited Boston to 39.1 percent shooting from the field.
"From Day 1, training camp, we sat together and we decided that we wanted to be a defensive team," Gobert said. "And I'm really proud of the way, the maturity that we've shown and the approach that we have in the way we take every possession personally. I think that's the mark of a great defensive team."
Jaden McDaniels said he and his Timberwolves teammates already had a defensive identity.
"I think we're super tough," McDaniels said. "We don't let nobody push us around. We're always being physical defensively. I feel like we're a tough team. Super tough."
--Field Level Media