Game ID: 22300513
Minnesota Timberwolves @ Orlando Magic
Tuesday, January 9, 2024 at 7:00 PM ET
Kia Center, Orlando, FL
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
ORL 16 21 29 26 92MIN 33 34 23 23 113
MIN @ ORL ScoutingMIN @ ORL 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.
ORL availability going into 1/02 · 1 day's restOUT Fultz missed 24 since 11/11, out tonight
OUT Ingles missed 8 since 12/17, out tonight
OUT Isaac missed 4 since 12/26, out tonight
OUT Queen missed 2 since 12/29, out tonight
BACK Suggs back 12/26 after 2, 29 min since (107% of 28)
BACK Gar. Harris back 12/31 after 2, 32 min since (134% of 24)
NEW Black 16 to 27 min over the last 5
ORL availability going into 1/03 · back-to-backOUT Fultz missed 25 since 11/11, out tonight
OUT Ingles missed 9 since 12/17, out tonight
OUT Isaac missed 5 since 12/26, out tonight
OUT Queen missed 3 since 12/29, returns tonight: 38 min (322% of 12)
BACK Suggs back 12/26 after 2, 30 min since (108% of 28)
BACK Gar. Harris back 12/31 after 2, 31 min since (126% of 24)
NEW F. Wagner 33 to 38 min over the last 5
NEW Black 16 to 24 min over the last 5
ORL availability going into 1/05 · 1 day's restOUT Fultz missed 26 since 11/11, out tonight
OUT Ingles missed 10 since 12/17, out tonight
OUT Isaac missed 6 since 12/26, out tonight
BACK Gar. Harris back 12/31 after 2, 24 min since (100% of 24)
BACK Queen back 1/03 after 3, 38 min since (322% of 12)
NEW Black 16 to 22 min over the last 5
NEW Bitadze 15 to 23 min over the last 5
NEW Houstan 13 to 19 min over the last 5
ORL availability going into 1/07 · 1 day's restOUT Fultz missed 27 since 11/11, returns tonight: 15 min (73% of 20)
OUT Ingles missed 11 since 12/17, out tonight
OUT Isaac missed 7 since 12/26, out tonight
BACK Gar. Harris back 12/31 after 2, 24 min since (100% of 24)
BACK Queen back 1/03 after 3, 34 min since (292% of 12)
NEW Suggs 28 to 33 min over the last 5
NEW Bitadze 15 to 27 min over the last 4
ORL availability going into 1/09 · 1 day's restOUT F. Wagner missed 2 since 1/05, out tonight
OUT Carter Jr. missed 2 since 1/05, out tonight
OUT Gar. Harris missed 2 since 1/05, out tonight
OUT Ingles missed 12 since 12/17, out tonight
OUT Isaac missed 8 since 12/26, out tonight
BACK Fultz back 1/07 after 27, 15 min since (73% of 20)
BACK Queen back 1/03 after 3, 25 min since (211% of 12)
NEW Banchero 35 to 40 min over the last 5
NEW Suggs 28 to 32 min over the last 5
NEW Bitadze 15 to 26 min over the last 4
NEW Houstan 13 to 21 min over the last 5
ORL availability going into 1/12 · 2 days' restOUT F. Wagner missed 3 since 1/05, out tonight
OUT Carter Jr. missed 3 since 1/05, out tonight
OUT Gar. Harris missed 3 since 1/05, out tonight
OUT Ingles missed 13 since 12/17, returns tonight: 20 min (121% of 16)
OUT Isaac missed 9 since 12/26, out tonight
BACK Fultz back 1/07 after 27, 14 min since (68% of 20)
BACK Queen back 1/03 after 3, 26 min since (219% of 12)
NEW M. Wagner 18 to 25 min over the last 5
NEW Bitadze 15 to 25 min over the last 4
NEW Houstan 13 to 27 min over the last 5
ORL availability going into 1/13 · back-to-backOUT F. Wagner missed 4 since 1/05, out tonight
OUT Carter Jr. missed 4 since 1/05, out tonight
OUT Gar. Harris missed 4 since 1/05, out tonight
OUT Isaac missed 10 since 12/26, returns tonight: 15 min (93% of 16)
BACK Fultz back 1/07 after 27, 15 min since (73% of 20)
BACK Ingles back 1/12 after 13, 20 min since (121% of 16)
BACK Queen back 1/03 after 3, 22 min since (187% of 12)
NEW Banchero 35 to 40 min over the last 5
NEW M. Wagner 18 to 27 min over the last 5
NEW Bitadze 15 to 23 min over the last 4
NEW Houstan 13 to 32 min over the last 5
ORL availability going into 1/15 · 1 day's restOUT F. Wagner missed 5 since 1/05, out tonight
OUT Carter Jr. missed 5 since 1/05, returns tonight: 19 min (74% of 26)
OUT Gar. Harris missed 5 since 1/05, out tonight
BACK Fultz back 1/07 after 27, 15 min since (73% of 20)
BACK Ingles back 1/12 after 13, 20 min since (121% of 16)
BACK Isaac back 1/13 after 10, 15 min since (93% of 16)
NEW M. Wagner 18 to 28 min over the last 5
NEW Bitadze 15 to 21 min over the last 4
NEW Houstan 13 to 32 min over the last 5
NEW Queen 12 to 18 min over the last 5
ORL availability going into 1/17 · 1 day's restOUT F. Wagner missed 6 since 1/05, out tonight
OUT Gar. Harris missed 6 since 1/05, out tonight
BACK Carter Jr. back 1/15 after 5, 19 min since (74% of 26)
BACK Fultz back 1/07 after 27, 17 min since (84% of 20)
BACK Ingles back 1/12 after 13, 20 min since (122% of 16)
BACK Isaac back 1/13 after 10, 16 min since (95% of 16)
NEW M. Wagner 18 to 26 min over the last 4
NEW Bitadze 15 to 23 min over the last 5
NEW Houstan 13 to 32 min over the last 5
MIN availability going into 1/01 · 1 day's restOUT Milton missed 2 since 12/28, out tonight
OUT McLaughlin missed 2 since 12/28, returns tonight: 12 min (109% of 11)
MIN availability going into 1/03 · 1 day's restOUT Milton missed 3 since 12/28, returns tonight: 3 min (25% of 13)
BACK McLaughlin back 1/01 after 2, 12 min since (109% of 11)
MIN availability going into 1/05 · 1 day's restBACK Milton back 1/03 after 3, 3 min since (25% of 13)
BACK McLaughlin back 1/01 after 2, 14 min since (137% of 11)
MIN availability going into 1/07 · 1 day's restBACK Milton back 1/03 after 3, 3 min since (26% of 13)
BACK McLaughlin back 1/01 after 2, 14 min since (131% of 11)
MIN availability going into 1/09 · 1 day's restBACK Milton back 1/03 after 3, 3 min since (26% of 13)
BACK McLaughlin back 1/01 after 2, 14 min since (129% of 11)
MIN availability going into 1/10 · back-to-backBACK Milton back 1/03 after 3, 3 min since (24% of 13)
BACK McLaughlin back 1/01 after 2, 14 min since (133% of 11)
MIN availability going into 1/12 · 1 day's restBACK Milton back 1/03 after 3, 5 min since (36% of 13)
MIN availability going into 1/14 · 1 day's rest
full strength
MIN availability going into 1/17 · 2 days' rest
full strength
I Know — the desk, before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Orlando comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 119 a night and allowing 120, shooting 47 percent and 44 from three, 24 free throws a game; Banchero at 33 and F. Wagner at 19 a game. Without F. Wagner (2 straight), Carter Jr. (2 straight), Gar. Harris (2 straight). One day's rest. Minnesota comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 110 a night and allowing 109, shooting 48 percent and 36 from three, 24 free throws a game; Edwards at 32 and Towns at 21 a game. One day's rest.
So: Orlando wins, and the game turns on the arc, Orlando at 44 percent from three to Minnesota's 36 and the defense, Minnesota allowing 109 a night to Orlando's 120. Call it Orlando 114, Minnesota 112, Minnesota keeping it close.
1/02 @ GSW 115-121 — ORL notes
ORL lost 115-121. ORL took 14 more shots (92 to 78), fed by 16 offensive rebounds, but shot 45% to GSW's 54%, 14 of 36 from three, and got to the line 23 times to GSW's 37. ORL turned it over 17 times to GSW's 12, and GSW turned those into 9 steals. Banchero led with 27 (8 of 20, 3 of 8 from three, 8 of 11 at the line); F. Wagner added 25, Bitadze 13. Q2 was theirs, 27-25, the deficit cut from 2 to 0, but the other 3 periods went 96-88 against them. Bitadze's -15 in 26 minutes was the worst on the floor.
1/03 @ SAC 135-138 — ORL notes
ORL lost 135-138 in 2 overtimes. ORL shot 49% (44 of 90) to SAC's 49%, 25 of 44 from three. The glass went 39-58 against them. Banchero led with 43 (13 of 25, 6 of 9 from three, 11 of 14 at the line); Suggs added 24, Houstan 15. Q3 was theirs, 34-24, the deficit cut from 12 to 2, but the other 5 periods went 114-101 against them. Bitadze's -15 in 28 minutes was the worst on the floor.
1/05 @ DEN 122-120 — ORL notes
ORL won 122-120. ORL shot 50% (41 of 82) to DEN's 51%, 17 of 36 from three, and went to the line 34 times to DEN's 19 — 23 points from the stripe to their 15. Banchero led with 32 (8 of 21, 1 of 4 from three, 15 of 19 at the line); Suggs added 27, Anthony 23. The hinge was Q3, 41-31: the deficit went from 13 to 3. ORL trailed 54-67 at the half and won the second half 68-53. Queen was the night's best plus/minus at +10.
1/07 vs ATL 117-110 — ORL notes
ORL won 117-110 in 1 overtime. ORL shot 44% (43 of 98) to ATL's 46%, 17 of 41 from three, and got to the line 22 times to ATL's 29. Banchero led with 35 (13 of 29, 4 of 7 from three, 5 of 7 at the line); Houstan added 25, Suggs 16. The hinge was Q3, 34-18: ORL came in trailing by 9 and left it ahead by 7. ORL trailed 51-60 at the half and won the second half 66-50.
1/09 vs MIN 92-113 — ORL notes
ORL lost 92-113. ORL took 14 more shots (94 to 80), fed by 16 offensive rebounds, but shot 36% to MIN's 54%, 13 of 42 from three. ORL turned it over 12 times to MIN's 18. Wagner led with 21 (6 of 9, 1 of 4 from three, 8 of 11 at the line); Suggs added 20, Banchero 18. Q3 was theirs, 29-23, the deficit cut from 30 to 24, but the other 3 periods went 90-63 against them. Banchero's -30 in 35 minutes was the worst on the floor.
1/12 @ MIA — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Miami comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 110 a night and allowing 114, shooting 45 percent and 36 from three, 26 free throws a game; Adebayo at 22 and Herro at 17 a game. Without Butler III (5 straight), Martin (7 straight). One day's rest. Orlando comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 116 a night and allowing 120, shooting 45 percent and 43 from three, 25 free throws a game; Banchero at 31 and Suggs at 19 a game. Without F. Wagner (3 straight), Carter Jr. (3 straight), Gar. Harris (3 straight). 2 days' rest.
So: Miami wins, and the game turns on the arc, Orlando at 43 percent from three to Miami's 36 and the turnovers, Orlando giving it away 15 times a game to Miami's 11. Call it Miami 115, Orlando 113, Orlando keeping it close.
1/13 @ OKC — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
OKC comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 131 a night and allowing 118, shooting 57 percent and 42 from three, 22 free throws a game; Gilgeous-Alexander at 32 and Holmgren at 20 a game. That is 3 straight wins. One day's rest. Orlando comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 112 a night and allowing 116, shooting 44 percent and 41 from three, 24 free throws a game; Banchero at 31 and Suggs at 18 a game. Without F. Wagner (4 straight), Carter Jr. (4 straight), Gar. Harris (4 straight). Second night of a back-to-back.
So: OKC wins, in a game with no one edge to lean on. Call it OKC 122, Orlando 113.
1/15 @ NYK — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
New York comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 118 a night and allowing 101, shooting 47 percent and 38 from three, 24 free throws a game; Brunson at 26 and Randle at 25 a game. It has won the glass by 10 a night. Without Robinson (18 straight). One day's rest. Orlando comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 105 a night and allowing 111, shooting 44 percent and 34 from three, 24 free throws a game; Banchero at 26 and M. Wagner at 16 a game. That is 3 straight losses. Without F. Wagner (5 straight), Carter Jr. (5 straight), Gar. Harris (5 straight). One day's rest.
So: New York wins, and the game turns on the glass, where New York has been plus-10 a night and Orlando plus-2 and the defense, New York allowing 101 a night to Orlando's 111. Call it New York 115, Orlando 107.
1/17 @ ATL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Atlanta comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 113 a night and allowing 120, shooting 43 percent and 33 from three, 30 free throws a game; Young at 26 and Murray at 21 a game. Without Hunter (12 straight), Krejčí (11 straight). One day's rest. Orlando comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 101 a night and allowing 106, shooting 43 percent and 30 from three, 21 free throws a game; Banchero at 24 and M. Wagner at 15 a game. Without F. Wagner (6 straight), Gar. Harris (6 straight). One day's rest.
So: Atlanta wins, and the game turns on the defense, Orlando allowing 106 a night to Atlanta's 120 and the line, where Atlanta takes 30 free throws a game to Orlando's 21. Call it Atlanta 114, Orlando 113, Orlando keeping it close.
1/01 @ NYK 106-112 — MIN notes
MIN lost 106-112. MIN shot 47% (36 of 76) to NYK's 44%, 11 of 28 from three. The glass went 34-49 against them. Edwards led with 35 (11 of 21, 4 of 9 from three, 9 of 10 at the line); Towns added 29, Gobert 10. Q4 was theirs, 28-18, the deficit cut from 16 to 6, but the other 3 periods went 94-78 against them. They led by as many as 11.
1/03 vs NOP 106-117 — MIN notes
MIN lost 106-117. MIN shot 45% (37 of 82) to NOP's 56%, 10 of 31 from three, and went to the line 27 times to NOP's 17 — 22 points from the stripe to their 15. The glass went 28-41 against them. Edwards led with 35 (11 of 22, 4 of 7 from three, 9 of 10 at the line); Towns added 22, McDaniels 11. Q4 was theirs, 35-25, the deficit cut from 21 to 11, but the other 3 periods went 92-71 against them. McDaniels's -19 in 33 minutes was the worst on the floor.
1/05 @ HOU 122-95 — MIN notes
MIN won 122-95. MIN shot 52% (46 of 88) to HOU's 40%, 14 of 33 from three. The glass went 52-38 for them. Edwards led with 24 (8 of 17, 2 of 5 from three, 6 of 6 at the line); Towns added 22, McDaniels 16. The hinge was Q4, 38-23: a lead of 12 became 27, and the lead reached 33. Gobert was the night's best plus/minus at +22.
1/07 @ DAL 108-115 — MIN notes
MIN lost 108-115. MIN shot 44% (41 of 94) to DAL's 45%, 13 of 41 from three. Edwards led with 36 (14 of 27, 3 of 6 from three, 5 of 7 at the line); Towns added 24, Reid 15. Q4 was theirs, 26-24, the deficit cut from 9 to 7, but the other 3 periods went 91-82 against them.
1/09 @ ORL 113-92 — MIN notes
MIN won 113-92. MIN shot 54% (43 of 80) to ORL's 36%, 12 of 30 from three. MIN turned it over 18 times to ORL's 12, and ORL turned those into 13 steals. Towns led with 28 (11 of 19, 5 of 5 from three); Gobert added 21, McDaniels 15. The hinge was Q1, 33-16: from level to 17 ahead, and the lead reached 34. McDaniels was the night's best plus/minus at +35.
1/10 @ BOS — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Boston comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 126 a night and allowing 112, shooting 49 percent and 39 from three, 27 free throws a game; Tatum at 31 and Brown at 25 a game. It has won the glass by 9 a night. One day's rest. Minnesota comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 111 a night and allowing 106, shooting 48 percent and 37 from three, 23 free throws a game; Edwards at 27 and Towns at 25 a game. Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Boston wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Boston has been plus-9 a night and Minnesota minus-1. Call it Boston 117, Minnesota 110.
1/12 vs POR — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Minnesota comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 109, shooting 48 percent and 37 from three, 21 free throws a game; Edwards at 26 and Towns at 24 a game. One day's rest. Portland comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 99 a night and allowing 129, shooting 39 percent and 32 from three, 21 free throws a game; Grant at 17 and Simons at 17 a game. It has lost the glass by 8 a night. Without Ayton (9 straight), Walker (4 straight). Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Minnesota wins, and the game turns on the defense, Minnesota allowing 109 a night to Portland's 129 and the glass, where Minnesota has been plus-2 a night and Portland minus-8. Call it Minnesota 120, Portland 104, Minnesota by 16.
1/14 vs LAC — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Minnesota comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 116 a night and allowing 104, shooting 50 percent and 38 from three, 21 free throws a game; Towns at 24 and Edwards at 21 a game. It has won the glass by 6 a night. One day's rest. The Clippers come in 4-1 over their last five, scoring 121 a night and allowing 110, shooting 52 percent and 44 from three, 19 free throws a game; George at 27 and Leonard at 20 a game. That is 3 straight wins. They have won the glass by 4 a night. Without Tucker (22 straight). One day's rest.
So: Minnesota wins, and the game turns on the arc, the Clippers at 44 percent from three to Minnesota's 38. Call it Minnesota 114, the Clippers 111, the Clippers keeping it close.
1/17 @ DET — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Detroit comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 124, shooting 49 percent and 36 from three, 21 free throws a game; Burks at 20 and Bogdanović at 20 a game. Without Cunningham (4 straight), Bogdanović (2 straight). One day's rest. Minnesota comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 113 a night and allowing 106, shooting 50 percent and 39 from three, 23 free throws a game; Towns at 23 and Edwards at 23 a game. It has won the glass by 5 a night. 2 days' rest.
So: Minnesota wins, on the road, and the game turns on the defense, Minnesota allowing 106 a night to Detroit's 124. Call it Minnesota 117, Detroit 111.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
ORLAB A. Black
CA C. Anthony
CH C. Houstan
CO C. Okeke
GB G. Bitadze
JS J. Suggs
MF M. Fultz
MW M. Wagner
PB P. Banchero
TQ T. Queen
MINAE A. Edwards
JM J. McDaniels
JM J. McLaughlin
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.
ORL/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
ORLANDO, Fla. -- — Karl-Anthony Towns scored 23 of his 28 points in the first half and the Minnesota Timberwolves led from start to finish Tuesday night in a 113-92 win over the Orlando Magic .
Rudy Gobert had 21 points and 12 rebounds and the Western Conference-leading Timberwolves (26-10) won easily despite getting only six points and three assists from leading scorer Anthony Edwards .
Edwards set up Towns for a 3-pointer on Minnesota's first shot. He made it, and the Timberwolves ran off to an 11-0 lead and never let it go.
“Tonight I just took what the defense gave me, taking the three when it was open and just shooting it,” said Towns, who made all five of his 3-points shots. “The first shot of the game was me in the corner and (the defense) didn’t decide to come. (Edwards) made a great pass in the corner.”
The Timberwolves led 33-16 after a first quarter in which Gobert scored 11 points and the Magic shot 6 for 27 (22% ).
“I thought it was our best start of the season," Gobert said. “The ball pressure, the focus, the energy, the urgency from the first play of the game was at a high level.”
Towns agreed.
“Everyone did a great job of building the lead, sustaining the lead and just continuing to find a way to attack,” said Towns, who had six rebounds, five assists and three steals.
Moritz Wagner led the Magic (21-16) with 21 points and seven rebounds. Jalen Suggs had 20 points and five rebounds and Paolo Banchero had 18 points on 8 for 22 shooting.
The Magic shot only 35% for the game and 28% in the first half.
“We kind of lacked energy,” said Wagner. “That's what we do, you know. We're probably not the best shooting team in the league so we've got to create havoc. We've got to be the ones to bring the energy, the juice, and we didn't really do that.”
Edwards, who came in averaging 26.8 points per game, was called for his third foul early in the second quarter and played only eight minutes in the first half. He took only seven shots and did not score in double figures for the first time this season.
Jaden McDaniels had 15 points and nine rebounds for the Timberwolves, and “did a really, really good job on Banchero,” according to coach Chris Finch.
Playing without Franz Wagner and Joe Ingles (sprained ankles), Wendell Carter Jr . (knee) and Gary Harris (calf strain), the Magic had only 10 available players including Markelle Fultz , who played 13 minutes in his second game back from a long absence due to a knee injury.
Towns took over the scoring load midway through in the second quarter and helped Minnesota push its lead to 34 points early in the second half.
Orlando never got the margin under 17 in the second half.