Game ID: 22300166
New Orleans Pelicans @ Minnesota Timberwolves
Wednesday, November 8, 2023 at 8:00 PM ET
Target Center, Minneapolis, MN
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
MIN 28 44 25 25 122NOP 24 20 24 33 101
MIN vs NOP ScoutingMIN vs NOP Scouting
Welcome to the scouting desk. The coffee is cold, the film is play-by-play, and somebody has to explain what happened.
Every game has a hinge — a stretch where it was decided, usually while everyone was watching something else. Start where the evidence lives: the Lineups' face-offs say which five actually won their minutes; the Possessions ledger says who ran ahead of the night's own pace; the Shot Chart says where the points really came from, which is rarely where the highlights were. When all three agree, that is the story. When they don't — that is why this desk has a chair.
MIN availability going into 10/30 · 1 day's rest
full strength
MIN availability going into 11/01 · 1 day's restNEW Milton 13 to 18 min over the last 3
MIN availability going into 11/04 · 2 days' restNEW Milton 13 to 18 min over the last 4
MIN availability going into 11/06 · 1 day's rest
full strength
MIN availability going into 11/08 · 1 day's rest
full strength
MIN availability going into 11/10 · 1 day's rest
full strength
MIN availability going into 11/12 · 1 day's restOUT McLaughlin missed 2 since 11/08, out tonight
MIN availability going into 11/14 · 1 day's restOUT McLaughlin missed 3 since 11/08, out tonight
MIN availability going into 11/15 · back-to-backOUT McLaughlin missed 4 since 11/08, out tonight
NOP availability going into 11/01 · 1 day's restNEW Ryan 14 to 22 min over the last 3
NOP availability going into 11/02 · back-to-backOUT Ingram missed 2 since 10/30, out tonight
NEW Hawkins 17 to 25 min over the last 4
NEW Ryan 14 to 22 min over the last 4
NOP availability going into 11/04 · 1 day's restOUT Ingram missed 3 since 10/30, returns tonight: 32 min (95% of 33)
NEW Hawkins 17 to 26 min over the last 5
NEW Ryan 14 to 24 min over the last 5
NOP availability going into 11/06 · 1 day's restBACK Ingram back 11/04 after 3, 32 min since (95% of 33)
NEW Hawkins 17 to 29 min over the last 5
NEW Ryan 14 to 25 min over the last 5
NOP availability going into 11/08 · 1 day's restBACK Ingram back 11/04 after 3, 34 min since (102% of 33)
NEW Hawkins 17 to 33 min over the last 5
NEW Ryan 14 to 25 min over the last 5
NOP availability going into 11/10 · 1 day's restOUT McCollum missed 2 since 11/06, out tonight
BACK Ingram back 11/04 after 3, 33 min since (100% of 33)
NEW Hawkins 17 to 32 min over the last 5
NEW Ryan 14 to 25 min over the last 5
NOP availability going into 11/12 · 1 day's restOUT McCollum missed 3 since 11/06, out tonight
OUT Jones missed 2 since 11/08, out tonight
BACK Ingram back 11/04 after 3, 34 min since (104% of 33)
NEW Daniels 22 to 28 min over the last 5
NEW Hawkins 17 to 33 min over the last 5
NEW Ryan 14 to 24 min over the last 5
NOP availability going into 11/14 · 1 day's restOUT McCollum missed 4 since 11/06, out tonight
OUT Jones missed 3 since 11/08, returns tonight: 31 min (99% of 31)
BACK Ingram back 11/04 after 3, 34 min since (102% of 33)
NEW Daniels 22 to 29 min over the last 5
NEW Hawkins 17 to 32 min over the last 5
NEW Ryan 14 to 22 min over the last 5
NOP availability going into 11/17 · 2 days' restOUT McCollum missed 5 since 11/06, out tonight
BACK Jones back 11/14 after 3, 31 min since (99% of 31)
NEW Daniels 22 to 31 min over the last 5
NEW Hawkins 17 to 34 min over the last 5
NEW Ryan 14 to 23 min over the last 5
I Know — the desk, before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Minnesota comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 113 a night and allowing 102, shooting 51 percent and 39 from three, 21 free throws a game; Edwards at 29 and Reid at 17 a game. That is 3 straight wins. One day's rest. New Orleans comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 112 a night and allowing 122, shooting 45 percent and 33 from three, 25 free throws a game; McCollum at 24 and Williamson at 21 a game. It has lost the glass by 10 a night. One day's rest.
So: Minnesota wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Minnesota has been plus-3 a night and New Orleans minus-10 and the defense, Minnesota allowing 102 a night to New Orleans's 122. Call it Minnesota 116, New Orleans 105, Minnesota by 11.
10/30 @ ATL 113-127 — MIN notes
MIN lost 113-127. MIN shot 49% (44 of 90) to ATL's 56%, 16 of 33 from three. Edwards led with 31 (13 of 21, 5 of 8 from three); Towns added 16, Gobert 14. Q2 was theirs, 37-25, but the other 3 periods went 102-76 against them. They led by as many as 21. Reid's -21 in 24 minutes was the worst on the floor.
11/01 vs DEN 110-89 — MIN notes
MIN won 110-89. MIN shot 46% (38 of 83) to DEN's 40%, 8 of 21 from three, and went to the line 27 times to DEN's 10 — 26 points from the stripe to their 7. Edwards led with 24 (8 of 16, 1 of 4 from three, 7 of 8 at the line); Towns added 21, Conley 17. The hinge was Q2, 35-23: a lead of 7 became 19, and the lead reached 23. Towns was the night's best plus/minus at +22.
11/04 vs UTA 123-95 — MIN notes
MIN won 123-95. MIN shot 56% (45 of 81) to UTA's 38%, 9 of 24 from three, and went to the line 31 times to UTA's 17 — 24 points from the stripe to their 13. MIN turned it over 10 times to UTA's 18. Edwards led with 31 (13 of 19, 2 of 4 from three); Towns added 25, Reid 16. The hinge was Q4, 31-18: a lead of 15 became 28, and the lead reached 31. Edwards was the night's best plus/minus at +27.
11/06 vs BOS 114-109 — MIN notes
MIN won 114-109 in 1 overtime. MIN shot 52% (44 of 85) to BOS's 39%, 13 of 37 from three, and got to the line 25 times to BOS's 34. MIN turned it over 23 times to BOS's 16, and BOS turned those into 13 steals. Edwards led with 38 (15 of 25, 2 of 8 from three, 6 of 7 at the line); McDaniels added 20, Gobert 14. The hinge was Q3, 27-19: MIN came in trailing by 3 and left it ahead by 5. MIN trailed 52-55 at the half and won the second half 62-54. Gobert was the night's best plus/minus at +24.
11/08 vs NOP 122-101 — MIN notes
MIN won 122-101. MIN shot 55% (45 of 82) to NOP's 39%, 15 of 37 from three. Edwards led with 26 (10 of 22, 2 of 8 from three); Towns added 23, Gobert 17. The hinge was Q2, 44-20: a lead of 4 became 28, and the lead reached 31. Edwards was the night's best plus/minus at +35.
11/10 @ SAS — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
San Antonio comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 116 a night and allowing 127, shooting 48 percent and 36 from three, 18 free throws a game; Wembanyama at 21 and Johnson at 17 a game. That is 3 straight losses. One day's rest. Minnesota comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 116 a night and allowing 104, shooting 51 percent and 40 from three, 24 free throws a game; Edwards at 30 and Towns at 18 a game. That is 4 straight wins. One day's rest.
So: Minnesota wins, on the road, and the game turns on the defense, Minnesota allowing 104 a night to San Antonio's 127 and the glass, where Minnesota has been plus-4 a night and San Antonio minus-3. Call it Minnesota 119, San Antonio 110.
11/12 @ GSW — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Golden State comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 116 a night and allowing 118, shooting 44 percent and 36 from three, 27 free throws a game; Curry at 29 and Thompson at 16 a game. Second night of a back-to-back. Minnesota comes in 5-0 over its last five, scoring 117 a night and allowing 101, shooting 51 percent and 38 from three, 27 free throws a game; Edwards at 29 and Towns at 21 a game. That is 5 straight wins. It has won the glass by 6 a night. One day's rest.
So: Minnesota wins, on the road, and the game turns on the defense, Minnesota allowing 101 a night to Golden State's 118. Call it Minnesota 114, Golden State 109.
11/14 @ GSW — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Golden State comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 110 a night and allowing 113, shooting 41 percent and 32 from three, 27 free throws a game; Curry at 31 and Thompson at 15 a game. That is 3 straight losses. One day's rest. Minnesota comes in 5-0 over its last five, scoring 118 a night and allowing 105, shooting 53 percent and 37 from three, 27 free throws a game; Edwards at 31 and Towns at 21 a game. That is 5 straight wins. It has won the glass by 4 a night. One day's rest.
So: Minnesota wins, on the road, and the game turns on the defense, Minnesota allowing 105 a night to Golden State's 113 and the arc, Minnesota at 37 percent from three to Golden State's 32. Call it Minnesota 113, Golden State 109, Golden State keeping it close.
11/15 @ PHX — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Phoenix comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 111 a night and allowing 113, shooting 42 percent and 35 from three, 29 free throws a game; Durant at 33 and Beal at 17 a game. It has won the glass by 9 a night. Without Booker (5 straight). 2 days' rest. Minnesota comes in 5-0 over its last five, scoring 115 a night and allowing 106, shooting 51 percent and 38 from three, 25 free throws a game; Edwards at 29 and Towns at 23 a game. That is 5 straight wins. Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Minnesota wins, on the road, and the game turns on the glass, where Phoenix has been plus-9 a night and Minnesota plus-3 and the defense, Minnesota allowing 106 a night to Phoenix's 113. Call it Minnesota 111, Phoenix 110, Phoenix keeping it close.
11/01 @ OKC 110-106 — NOP notes
NOP won 110-106. NOP shot 39% (40 of 102) to OKC's 43%, 13 of 42 from three. McCollum led with 29 (10 of 17, 5 of 8 from three, 4 of 7 at the line); Williamson added 20, Valančiūnas 19. The hinge was Q2, 29-18: the deficit went from 19 to 8. NOP trailed 43-51 at the half and won the second half 67-55. Hawkins was the night's best plus/minus at +17.
11/02 vs DET 125-116 — NOP notes
NOP won 125-116. NOP shot 49% (39 of 80) to DET's 44%, 14 of 32 from three, and went to the line 35 times to DET's 26 — 33 points from the stripe to their 21. The glass went 36-48 against them. McCollum led with 33 (10 of 23, 3 of 10 from three, 10 of 11 at the line); Valančiūnas added 23, Jones 21. The hinge was Q2, 37-20: a lead of 6 became 23. Valančiūnas was the night's best plus/minus at +20.
11/04 vs ATL 105-123 — NOP notes
NOP lost 105-123. NOP shot 48% (40 of 84) to ATL's 48%, 8 of 31 from three. The glass went 35-52 against them. Williamson led with 25 (9 of 16, 7 of 10 at the line); Ingram added 16, Hawkins 15. Q1 was theirs, 35-27, but the other 3 periods went 96-70 against them. They led by as many as 10. Jones's -26 in 33 minutes was the worst on the floor.
11/06 @ DEN 116-134 — NOP notes
NOP lost 116-134. NOP shot 50% (45 of 90) to DEN's 54%, 13 of 30 from three, and got to the line 15 times to DEN's 23. Hawkins led with 31 (10 of 19, 7 of 14 from three); Ingram added 22, Williamson 20. Q2 was theirs, 44-34, but the other 3 periods went 100-72 against them. They led by as many as 20. Ingram's -29 in 36 minutes was the worst on the floor.
11/08 @ MIN 101-122 — NOP notes
NOP lost 101-122. NOP took 11 more shots (93 to 82), fed by 11 offensive rebounds, but shot 39% to MIN's 55%, 8 of 28 from three. Ingram led with 24 (11 of 25, 1 of 6 from three); Hawkins added 14, Ryan 12. Q4 was theirs, 33-25, the deficit cut from 29 to 21, but the other 3 periods went 97-68 against them. Valančiūnas's -29 in 22 minutes was the worst on the floor.
11/10 @ HOU — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Houston comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 116 a night and allowing 101, shooting 49 percent and 42 from three, 22 free throws a game; Ja. Green at 21 and Sengun at 18 a game. That is 4 straight wins. It has won the glass by 5 a night. Without Thompson (3 straight). One day's rest. New Orleans comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 111 a night and allowing 120, shooting 45 percent and 34 from three, 24 free throws a game; McCollum at 25 and Williamson at 22 a game. That is 3 straight losses. It has lost the glass by 7 a night. Without McCollum (2 straight). One day's rest.
So: Houston wins, and the game turns on the defense, Houston allowing 101 a night to New Orleans's 120 and the glass, where Houston has been plus-5 a night and New Orleans minus-7. Call it Houston 117, New Orleans 106, Houston by 11.
11/12 vs DAL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
New Orleans comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 110 a night and allowing 120, shooting 46 percent and 35 from three, 25 free throws a game; Ingram at 23 and Williamson at 23 a game. That is 4 straight losses. It has lost the glass by 7 a night. Without McCollum (3 straight), Jones (2 straight). One day's rest. Dallas comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 123 a night and allowing 120, shooting 49 percent and 40 from three, 27 free throws a game; Dončić at 32 and Irving at 22 a game. It has lost the glass by 8 a night. One day's rest.
So: Dallas wins, on the road, and the game turns on the arc, Dallas at 40 percent from three to New Orleans's 35. Call it Dallas 118, New Orleans 115, New Orleans keeping it close.
11/14 vs DAL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
New Orleans comes in 0-5 over its last five, scoring 109 a night and allowing 124, shooting 47 percent and 36 from three, 23 free throws a game; Ingram at 23 and Williamson at 22 a game. That is 5 straight losses. Without McCollum (4 straight), Jones (3 straight). One day's rest. Dallas comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 127 a night and allowing 119, shooting 49 percent and 39 from three, 28 free throws a game; Dončić at 31 and Irving at 25 a game. It has lost the glass by 7 a night. Without Kleber (2 straight). One day's rest.
So: Dallas wins, on the road, and the game turns on the turnovers, New Orleans giving it away 15 times a game to Dallas's 11. Call it Dallas 122, New Orleans 115.
11/17 vs DEN — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
New Orleans comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 115 a night and allowing 121, shooting 48 percent and 38 from three, 24 free throws a game; Ingram at 24 and Williamson at 20 a game. Without McCollum (5 straight). 2 days' rest. Denver comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 116 a night and allowing 107, shooting 50 percent and 36 from three, 24 free throws a game; Jokić at 33 and Porter Jr. at 20 a game. Without Murray (4 straight). 2 days' rest.
So: Denver wins, on the road, and the game turns on the defense, Denver allowing 107 a night to New Orleans's 121 and the turnovers, New Orleans giving it away 16 times a game to Denver's 10. Call it Denver 116, New Orleans 111.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
NOPBI B. Ingram
CZ C. Zeller
DD D. Daniels
DS D. Seabron
EL E. Liddell
JH J. Hawkins
JR J. Robinson-Earl
JV J. Valančiūnas
KL K. Lewis Jr.
LN L. Nance Jr.
MR M. Ryan
MINAE A. Edwards
JM J. McDaniels
JM J. Minott
KA K. Anderson
KT K. Towns
LG L. Garza
MC M. Conley
NA N. Alexander-Walker
NR N. Reid
RG R. Gobert
SM S. Milton
TB T. Brown Jr.
NOP/MIN the team itself, not a player
-- the feed named nobody
What
What happened
the codes in the Events column
M2 / M3 made 2 / made 3
X2 / X3 missed 2 / missed 3
FT / X1 free throw made / missed
AST assist
OR / DR offensive / defensive rebound
STL steal
BLK block
TO turnover
FL foul
OF offensive foul — ends the possession
VIOL violation
JUMP jump ball
TM timeout
IR instant replay
HE heave at the buzzer, filed to the team
END the clock ran out, ball in hand
Where
Where a shot came from
the middle field of M3.LW.25
RM at the rim inside 4 ft
RC right corner
RW right wing
SO straight on
LW left wing
LC left corner
M3.LW.25 made 3, left wing, 25 ft
X2.RM.01 missed 2, at the rim, 1 ft
When
When it happened
the Offset column
one number per event, in the Events order:
whole seconds from the start of the
possession to that event
Events FL X3.RC.23 OR M2.RM.01
Offset 0 18 22 24
the foul opens the possession at 0s;
the putback ends it at 24s, which is
the possession's own Dur
Edwards, Timberwolves hand short-handed Pelicans 122-101 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.
“Regardless of who we play, who's hurt, we know that our biggest opponent is ourselves,” Gobert said. “I'm really proud the way we came out. We came out regardless of who's on the court. It's still the NBA, and guys are talented.”
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.
Jordan Hawkins added 14 points for the Pelicans, who have lost three straight after opening 4-1. New Orleans shot 38.7% from the floor.
“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.”
Minnesota was hot from 3-point range early. The Wolves hit five of their first six shots from deep to grab a 17-6 lead. Mike Conley connected on four 3-pointers in the first half to extend Minnesota’s advantage.
The Timberwolves were 14 of 27 from deep in the first half, making more 3-pointers than New Orleans attempted (12).
“We just let them be too comfortable,” Green said. "Guarding the ball is a priority, and we didn't do a great job of that in the first half."
Minnesota let a big lead slip away against Atlanta earlier this season. The Timberwolves were determined not to let that happen again.
The Wolves increased their halftime lead and kept their foot on the gas well into the fourth quarter when the game was already decided.
“I like the fact that we didn't let up,” Minnesota coach Chris Finch said. “We didn't have any mental lapses. There was no immaturity out there when it came to screwing around with the game when we had it right where we wanted it, which we'd been prone to do.”
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.
Third-year forward Jeremiah Robinson-Earl was in the starting lineup for his season debut with the Pelicans. He had 11 points and nine rebounds.