Timberwolves (25-25), Pelicans (26-23)
Brandon Ingram was back on the court Wednesday after being sidelined for exactly two months due to a toe injury. It might take a little longer for his rhythm and timing to return. In Ingram’s first game action since Black Friday, the forward shot 4/18 from the field in his 26 minutes, posting 13 points, five rebounds and five assists. Minnesota trailed by double digits early, but used a 39-21 third quarter to take control, including a 15-0 run that turned a one-point deficit into a 75-61 edge. New Orleans mounted a fourth-quarter rally, but came up a couple possessions shy in the second game of a home/home back-to-back. Pelicans head coach Willie Green said of Ingram’s return, “It was great to have him out there. Started the game really well, moving the ball. He’s knocking off some rust, which we expected.”
IT WAS OVER WHEN…
Minnesota grabbed a defensive rebound after two New Orleans three-point misses, maintaining a seven-point lead with less than 30 seconds remaining. Before fouling out, Jaden McDaniels sank a momentous three with 1:24 left, putting the Timberwolves in front 107-100.
PELICANS PLAYER OF THE GAME
Devonte’ Graham was perfect from three-point range at 4/4, accounting for all of his dozen points in just 16 minutes of action. As was the case for nearly the entire Pelicans bench, they outscored the Wolves with Graham on the floor (by a nine-point margin).
BY THE NUMBERS
12: New Orleans assists in the first quarter.
13: New Orleans assists from the second quarter through the fourth quarter, finishing with 25 as a team.
18-4: Minnesota edge in fast-break points.
REVISITING FANDUEL KEYS TO THE GAME
CREATE HAVOC ON DEFENSE
Below average night. Ranked 28th in turnover percentage entering Wednesday, Minnesota committed only nine turnovers, leading to just six New Orleans points.
ATTACK THE PAINT
New Orleans again didn’t shoot well from three-point range, but made up for it with quality ball movement and aggressiveness in the first half, before slowing down significantly after the break. The Pelicans finished at 44 percent from the field, needing to pick it up late to get there.
MATCHUP TO WATCH
At starting center, it was a virtual draw between Jonas Valanciunas and Rudy Gobert. Both notched a double-double and contributed exactly 12 rebounds.
#WESTERNCONFERENCEWEDNESDAY
Is anyone going to break out from the logjam of teams in the tier beneath the Pelicans of the West standings? Dallas has the most star power among the group with Luka Doncic; the Mavericks also might be the most dangerous, according to fan voting on Twitter. Dallas picked up 71 percent of ballots in a poll that asked which team might get hot in the second half of the season, with the other options being Oklahoma City (16 percent), Minnesota (8) and Utah (6). One vote for OKC came in from @retro_pels, who responded, “I’m taking the Thunder. They will be a top 5 seed I think!”