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Wolves Hold On Late, Beat Pelicans In New Orleans

The Wolves won another close game, this time against the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday night.

Minnesota won 104-98, its third-straight win, to move to 5-3 overall, tied for third in the West. The Pelicans fell to the inverse, at 3-5 overall.

These are games that we’ve seen the Wolves lose in the past, but with some veteran leadership and toughness down the stretch, they are winning these games.

Minnesota was led by Jimmy Butler, who finished with 23 points. Andrew Wiggins added 18 points and six rebounds. The bench was huge for the Wolves, having three players hit double digits. Gorgui Dieng finished with 12 points and eight rebounds. Nemanja Bjelica added 12 while shooting 2-for-3 from deep, while Jamal Crawford also scored 12. Taj Gibson rounded things out with an 11-point, 12-rebound double-double.

DeMarcus Cousins led New Orleans with 35 points, nine rebounds, six assists and six steals. Anthony Davis added 24 points, 10 rebounds and six assists. Jrue Holiday scored 14 points and six assists, while Tony Allen led the bench with 10 points.

This is the first Wolves win over the Pelicans since Feb. 27, 2016.

Highlight Of The Game

What a sequence the end of the first quarter was for the Wolves. Bjelica hit a corner three with 3.2 seconds left to tie the game at 28. New Orleans tried to heave it down the court on the inbound, only to have the ball stolen by Crawford. Crawford pulled up from half court to bank the shot in at the buzzer, to give the Wolves a 31-28 lead. Talk about a six-point swing.

The Numbers Game

  • Minnesota’s bench outscored New Orleans’ bench 45-17.
  • The Wolves outrebounded the Pelicans 47-38.
  • With Butler in the lineup, Minnesota is now 5-1.

Player Of The Game

Butler did it on both ends, finishing with 23 points, four rebounds, three steals and two assists. Butler was 7-for-10 from the free-throw line and helped hold Holiday, E’Twaun Moore and Dante Cunningham to just 22 combined points.

Up Next

The Wolves head back home for Saturday’s matchup against the Dallas Mavericks. Tipoff is at 7 p.m. on Fox Sports North Plus and 830 WCCO.