In three previous meetings, New Orleans beat Minnesota once when two-time All-Star forward Zion Williamson was available, but lost twice when he was a DNP. Meanwhile, the Timberwolves’ only loss to the Pelicans occurred without star Anthony Edwards. With Williamson and Edwards both on the court Wednesday for the first time in 2023-24, New Orleans dominated, continuing an outstanding stretch. The Pelicans won their fourth straight game overall, going up by 13 points at halftime and 21 through three quarters, en route to an impressive road win. It was only the second home loss of the season for the Timberwolves (14-2 in Target Center). “We’re super happy with this win,” said Larry Nance Jr., whose return from a rib injury has coincided with the four-game win streak. “Second night of a back-to-back, in the middle of we’re just starting a tough stretch coming up. This is a win that we’re really proud of. (Minnesota is the) No. 1 team in the conference, a heck of a basketball team. We're just happy to be hitting our stride a little bit right now."
THREE POINTS
The defense does not rest.
Statistically and from a bottom-line standpoint of allowing just 85 points, Tuesday’s win vs. Brooklyn was the best performance of the season for the New Orleans defense, but it did not get complacent 24 hours later in Minneapolis. The Pelicans held the Western Conference’s first-place team to just 46 points in Wednesday’s first half, swarming Edwards and other Wolves perimeter players all night. The hosts shot 45 percent from the field, but were much lower than that prior to a fourth quarter in which they put up 35 points, mostly with the outcome already decided.
Big three buckets (again).
The trio of Williamson (27 points), CJ McCollum (24) and Brandon Ingram (19) came within one Ingram point of having all three scorers at 20-plus points for the third time in the last four games. New Orleans is in the midst of what’s easily been the best stretch of collective performances from its top three offensive threats – it helps that they’ve been able to actually be on the court consistently lately. Meanwhile, Ingram continues to receive praise for his defensive disruptiveness. “B.I. has been a catalyst of a lot of our defensive stops,” Nance said of his former Lakers and current Pelicans teammate. “His steals and blocks have been super impressive. What more could you want from your guy?”
Balance pays off.
Edwards led Minnesota with 35 points and Karl-Anthony Towns supplied 22, but no other Wolf got on much of an offensive roll. By comparison, New Orleans had four players tally at least 16 points (Herb Jones shot 4/5 from beyond the arc among his 16-point game) and a pair of subs (Nance and Jose Alvarado) scored eight points, with offense being only a small slice of their important contributions. Although Trey Murphy (knee) remained sidelined Wednesday, the Pelicans’ depth is beginning to show up on a nightly basis, giving them an advantage on even some of the West’s premier clubs.
BY THE NUMBERS
5: Consecutive road wins for New Orleans, which has not lost an away game since Dec. 7, against the Lakers in Las Vegas (technically a road game, but at a neutral site).
8-3: New Orleans record vs. the top five teams in the Western Conference (2-2 vs. Minnesota, 1-0 vs. Oklahoma City, 1-1 vs. Denver, 1-0 vs. LA Clippers, 3-0 vs. Sacramento), including 8-1 when Williamson plays.
6/7: Wednesday's matchup against Minnesota commenced a stretch in which six of NOLA's seven opponents currently have winning records. The only exception is Golden State, which is barely below .500 at 16-17.