Minnesota Timberwolves: A win over the Pelicans in debut for new Wolves

The two biggest names acquired by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the Jimmy Butler trade debuted on Wednesday evening in a home win over the New Orleans Pelicans.

On a night when Jimmy Butler joined the Philadelphia 76ers for a road loss to the Orlando Magic, newcomers Robert Covington and Dario Saric helped lead the Minnesota Timberwolves to a win over the New Orleans Pelicans.

The Timberwolves had broken a five-game losing streak with a win over the Brooklyn Nets on Monday night. Covington and Saric joined the team for shoot-around on Wednesday morning and played the same day against the Pelicans, with Covington cracking the starting lineup.

Derrick Rose missed the game due to left knee soreness while both Andrew Wiggins and Jeff Teague, who had each missed games on last week’s road trip, were able to start alongside Covington. Taj Gibson retained the starting power forward role while Saric came off the bench.

The Wolves came out of the gate on fire, building a 20-point first half lead after draining 10 of their first 20 3-point attempts. The offense was nearly unstoppable, with the ball swinging around the perimeter and finding the open man for a three or a dunk.

Minnesota was active, albeit sloppy, on defense, but there was a clear shift in energy and activity with Butler’s minutes replaced by Covington and Saric sliding directly into the bench unit.

The Wolves became somewhat stagnant on offense late in the first half, however, allowing New Orleans to pull within 13 points at halftime.

After putting up 20 points and 10 rebounds in the first half, Towns got into foul trouble in the third quarter and then again in the fourth, being forced to play with five personal fouls down the stretch.

With Towns struggling with fouls, Pelicans whittled the deficit to single digits more than once in the third quarter. The Wolves, however, always seemed to have a flurry that built the lead back up to something more comfortable. But early in the fourth quarter, the bench failed the Wolves and forced Tom Thibodeau to fall back on his starters earlier than he had planned.

The Pelicans took a two-point lead — their only lead of the game — with 4:40 left on the game clock, but Wiggins responded with a huge 3-pointer on the other end, and the Wolves would not relinquish their newly-captured lead, finishing the game on a 13-4 run.

The run included an impressive block by Towns against Davis, followed by a massive dunk and old-fashioned 3-point play from Wiggins on the other end.

Towns outplayed Davis throughout the game, forcing him to work despite the foul trouble that KAT found himself in. It took Davis 25 shots to get 29 points, which is a testament to the work that Towns put in on defense in this one.

This was a big win against a good team, and a team that the Wolves hope to be battling with for a playoff spot in April. The Wolves have now won two straight and are 6-1 at home on the season.

Highlight of the Night

Tweet of the Night

Player of the Game

Karl-Anthony Towns: 25 points (9-17 FG, 2-4 3P, 5-5 FT), 16 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks

Towns was awesome in the first half, plagued with early foul trouble in the third quarter, and finished the game strong along with Jeff Teague and Wiggins down the stretch.

The Wolves’ lone remaining All-Star showcased his game inside and outside early, scoring in the post and from beyond the arc. He bodied up Davis well on the other end of the floor, mostly avoiding being called for fouls when matched up with Davis one-on-one.

Towns gets the nod here for his defense as much as his offense. More games like this one for KAT, please.

Notable Timberwolves Box Score Lines

• Andrew Wiggins: 23 points (8-22 FG, 4-9 3P, 3-5 FT), 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals, one block
• Jeff Teague: 14 points (4-13 FG, 1-5 3P, 5-6 FT), 14 assists, 2 rebounds, one steal, one block
• Robert Covington: 13 points (4-11 FG, 3-7 3P, 2-2 FT), 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, one block
• Dario Saric: 9 points (3-7 FG, 1-2 3P, 2-2 FT), 3 rebounds, 2 steals, one assist
• Josh Okogie: 11 points (4-9 FG, 3-5 3P), 5 rebounds, 3 steals, one assist

Wiggins was great, as mentioned. While the 22 shots to get 23 points isn’t great, he was active on defense and aggressive on offense, and the Wolves will take 4-of-9 shooting nights from 3-point range from Wiggins every single time out.

Teague did a fantastic job facilitating, although his outside shot continues to struggle. Covington was solid in his Wolves debut, showcasing his typical energy level on defense and knocking down open threes when he had the chance.

Saric had his all-around game on display, logging 20 minutes behind Gibson at the four. Gibson played 28 minutes.

Okogie played one of his better games, knocking down three of his five 3-point attempts and grabbing five rebounds and three steals in just 17 minutes of play. He continues to impress in the early stages of his rookie season.

What’s Next?

The Timberwolves will host the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday night at 7 p.m. CT. The Wolves will be wearing their Prince-inspired Purple Reign jerseys for the first time this season.