New Orleans Pelicans @ Minnesota Timberwolves
Wednesday, January 3, 2024 at 8:00 PM ET
Target Center, Minneapolis, MN | Game ID: 22300471
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
MIN 24 22 25 35 106NOP 27 32 33 25 117
ESPN UpdateESPN Update
Zion Williamson scores 27 points, Pelicans beat West-leading Timberwolves 117-106
MINNEAPOLIS -- — Zion Williamson scored 27 points and the New Orleans Pelicans kept rolling with a 117-106 victory over the West-leading Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday night.
CJ McCollum added 24 points and Brandon Ingram had 19. The Pelicans pulled away in the second half for their fourth straight victory and ninth in 12 games.
On the second night of a back-to-back after beating Brooklyn 112-85, a game that allowed Williamson and Ingram to both play under 30 minutes, New Orleans went on the road and shot 55.6% from the field. Williamson and Ingram combined to shoot 18 of 26.
“We've all been locked in and connected on the defensive end, and that leads to a lot of better things on the offensive end; transition points and just the movement of the ball,” Williamson said. “So, when me, CJ and B.I. do get in our iso, we've got more space.”
Anthony Edwards scored 35 points for Minnesota, and Karl-Anthony Towns had 22. Minnesota dropped to 14-2 at home and lost consecutive games for the first time this season. The Timberwolves were the last team in the NBA to lose two in a row.
The Timberwolves shot just 38.7% through three quarters. They finished with 13 turnovers, leading to 16 points for the Pelicans. Edwards had six turnovers and Towns shot 8 of 19 from the field, including 0 of 4 from 3-point territory.
“It’s on us because the coaches do a great job bringing the game plan and making sure we’re prepared,” Edwards said. “And the rest of it is on us. They keep asking us to play hard, and they shouldn’t have to say it. We got to figure it out.”
New Orleans used a 25-9 run late in the first half to take control and extended the lead to 24 midway through the third quarter.
“I give that credit to B.I., especially at the end of the second quarter,” Williamson said. “He made that separation. He was just getting to it. And then in the third quarter, that energy continued with the whole team.”
A night after complaining about Williamson not getting a foul called on a shot attempt, Pelicans coach Willie Green received a technical foul and sprinted nearly the length of the court after a drive by Williamson. There was no penalty called and Minnesota received the ball as officials ruled it went off Williamson’s leg.
“I saw him get fouled, that's the difference,” Green said about the play Wednesday. “I couldn't see it last night, but tonight I saw it and it was clear.”
UP NEXT
Pelicans: Host the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday night.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
NOPBI B. Ingram
CM C. McCollum
CZ C. Zeller
DD D. Daniels
HJ H. Jones
JA J. Alvarado
JH J. Hawkins
JV J. Valančiūnas
LN L. Nance Jr.
NM N. Marshall
VA Valanciunas
ZW Z. Williamson
MINAE A. Edwards
JM J. McDaniels
JM J. McLaughlin
JM J. Minott
KA K. Anderson
KT K. Towns
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
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