Minnesota Timberwolves Hand Short-Handed Pelicans Loss
MINNEAPOLIS -- — Anthony Edwards scored 26 points and had a season-high eight assists and the Minnesota Timberwolves beat the short-handed New Orleans Pelicans 122-101 on Wednesday night.
Karl-Anthony Towns scored 23 points on 9-of-12 shooting and Rudy Gobert had 17 points and 20 rebounds to help Minnesota win its fourth straight game.
New Orleans was without its two leading scorers, with Zion Williamson out for personal reasons and CJ McCollum sidelined for the second straight game by a collapsed lung.
The Pelicans struggled to fill the void on offense. Brandon Ingram was one of the only Pelicans who produced much offensively in the first half, leading the way with 17 of his team-high 24 points in the first half.
“Definitely a tough loss, a frustrating loss for our guys,” Pelicans coach Willie Green said. “The effort was there. We all know we had some individuals and guys out. But give them credit. They took care of business on their home floor.”
The Timberwolves were 14 of 27 from deep in the first half, making more 3-pointers than New Orleans attempted (12).
Edwards, who drew a few “MVP!” “MVP!” chants from the crowd at Target Center, was a facilitator on offense for Minnesota. He also continued his strong defensive play, finishing with a pair of blocks that included a chase-down play to thwart a Dyson Daniels layup.