National Basketball Association
Minnesota 134, New Orleans 93
When: 8:00 PM ET, Friday, March 21, 2025
Where: Target Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Officials:
#19 James Capers, #78 Evan Scott, #50 Gediminas Petraitis
Attendance:
18978
By Field Level Media
Julius Randle scored 20 points on 7-for-11 shooting from the floor as the Minnesota Timberwolves cruised to a 134-93 win over the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday night in Minneapolis.
Anthony Edwards and Jaden McDaniels added 17 points apiece for Minnesota (41-31), which bounced back from a loss against the Pelicans two nights earlier. Rudy Gobert registered a double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds.
C.J. McCollum scored 15 points to lead New Orleans (19-52). Bruce Brown scored 14 points on 5-for-8 shooting and Yves Missi pulled down a team-high 10 rebounds.
Pelicans big man Zion Williamson did not play because of a low back contusion.
The Timberwolves shot 53.9 percent (48 of 89) overall and 43.2 percent (19 of 44) from 3-point range. The Pelicans shot 50 percent (34 of 68) from the field and 35.5 percent (11 of 31) from beyond the arc.
Minnesota won the assist-to-turnover ratio by a wide margin. The Timberwolves tallied 40 assists and 13 turnovers, and the Pelicans finished with 20 assists to go along with 25 turnovers.
The Pelicans trailed 97-72 at the end of the third quarter.
Randle made a pair of free throws to give Minnesota a 20-point lead with 7:45 remaining in the third quarter. The Timberwolves increased their advantage to 26 in the final minute of the quarter on a basket by Randle.
Jaylen Clark put Minnesota at the 100-point mark when he drained a 3-pointer in the first minute of the fourth quarter. Gobert made a steal moments later, and Clark finished the sequence with a dunk to give him five points in 21 seconds.
The Timberwolves built a 62-48 lead at the half.
McCollum made a jump shot to cut the deficit to 49-43 with 3:02 remaining in the first half.
Gobert made a pair of free throws on the opposite end of the court to boost Minnesota's lead to 51-43 with 2:44 left. That started a 14-5 run for the Timberwolves to finish the first half.
--Field Level Media
Top Game Performances
New Orleans |
|
Minnesota |
CJ McCollum 15 |
Scoring |
Julius Randle 20 |
Kelly Olynyk 4 |
Assists |
Mike Conley 6 |
Yves Missi 10 |
Rebounds |
Rudy Gobert 11 |
Jordan Hawkins 3 |
Free Throws Made |
Rudy Gobert 7 |
CJ McCollum 4 |
Steals |
Rudy Gobert 3 |
Jose Alvarado 1 |
Blocks |
Donte DiVincenzo 1 |
Team Stats Summary
Team |
Points |
FG% |
3PM-3PA |
FTM-FTA |
Assists |
Rebounds |
Blocks |
Steals |
Turnovers |
New Orleans
|
93 |
50.0 |
11-31 |
14-22 |
20 |
33 |
4 |
11 |
26 |
Minnesota
|
134 |
53.9 |
19-44 |
19-20 |
40 |
36 |
1 |
14 |
14 |
Upcoming Games
-
Minnesota will play their next game on the road against Indiana. The Timberwolves have a W/L % of .625 after a win and .500 after a loss.
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New Orleans will play their next game on the road against Detroit. The Pelicans have a W/L % of .368 after a win and .231 after a loss.