NBA: Dosunmu scores 26 as Timberwolves beat Pelicans 115-109

Minnesota beat the Pelicans 115-109 at the Smoothie King Center on Friday 6 November, in front of 17,767 spectators. Ayo Dosunmu led the Timberwolves with 26 points, LaMelo Ball finished with a plus-minus of +23, and Minnesota took the game in the final quarter, winning it 38 to 30.

Before the game, Anthony Edwards, Donte DiVincenzo and Terrence Shannon Jr. were listed as out for Minnesota, and Yves Missi for the Pelicans. Trey Murphy III was listed as returning from injury. The Pelicans came into the evening on four straight wins, a run ended by this defeat. Their previous game was on Wednesday against the Utah Jazz.

A 7-18 start, then a 10-0 response

Minnesota took charge from the start. An 8-0 run turned 5-5 into 5-13, and the gap then reached 11 points, at 7-18, with 6:47 left in the first quarter. That was the Timberwolves' biggest lead of the night.

The Pelicans answered with a 10-0 run, from 7-18 to 17-18, and finished the quarter ahead, 30-27. They then led 43-41 midway through the second quarter, before Minnesota regained control: a 7-0 run to go in front, from 43-37 to 43-44, then a 9-0 burst from 45-44 to 45-53. The Timberwolves won the second quarter 30-21 and went into the locker room six points up, 57-51.

Pelicans' 12-0 run not enough

After the break, New Orleans produced its best spell: a 12-0 run from 61-66 to 73-66, its biggest lead of the game at seven points. Minnesota scored only 20 points in the third quarter, and the Pelicans went into the final period two points ahead, 79-77. The lead changed hands 13 times.

The turning point came after 89-87 to the Pelicans, with 7:30 left. Minnesota strung together an 8-0 run, up to 89-95, before finishing at 115-109. The Timberwolves scored 38 points in that quarter, their highest total of the night in any period.

The key individual performances

For the Timberwolves, Ayo Dosunmu was the team's top scorer with 26 points, including 4 of 6 from three-point range and a perfect 6-6 at the free-throw line, in 39 minutes. Jaden McDaniels added 23 points and 5 assists in 40 minutes. LaMelo Ball scored 22 points and dished out 8 assists. At +23, he had the best plus-minus of the game among the players covered here, in 35 minutes. Jonathan Kuminga grabbed 8 rebounds and scored 17 points, with a plus-minus of +14. Rudy Gobert, in 25 minutes, pulled down 11 rebounds and scored 8 points on 4 of 5 shooting, for +10.

For the Pelicans, Jeremiah Fears scored 24 points on 9 of 16 shooting, with 5 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals in 36 minutes. Karlo Matkovic hit 4 of 8 from three-point range for 18 points, in 18 minutes. Saddiq Bey, off the bench, contributed 17 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists. Zion Williamson grabbed 8 rebounds and scored 13 points, with no turnovers.

Trey Murphy III, listed as returning, finished with 10 points, 4 rebounds and 5 assists. Trendon Watford added 12 points and 6 rebounds off the bench. For Minnesota, Jaylen Clark scored 8 points in 21 minutes. The bench lines rounded out a game largely shaped by the starters: the Timberwolves' starting five named on the stat sheet all played at least 25 minutes.

Three takeaways

A 38-point final quarter. That was Minnesota's highest quarterly total that night, compared with 20 in the third. The 18-point gap between those two periods sums up the turnaround: the Timberwolves lost the third quarter by 8 points, 28-20, then won the last by 8, 38-30.

Free throws and rebounds made the difference. Minnesota made 27 of 37 free throws, against 21 of 26 for the Pelicans, a six-point difference, exactly the final margin. The Timberwolves also pulled down 49 rebounds to 41, despite shooting 12 of 39 from three.

The Pelicans made more baskets but did not win. New Orleans made 39 of 86 shots, one more basket than Minnesota's 38 of 88, and 10 of 24 from three. But the team lost the rebounding battle, committed 13 turnovers and got to the line less often. The Pelicans' 25 assists, against 23 for Minnesota, did not change the outcome.

The SNA view

This win owed less to outside shooting than to volume. Minnesota hit 31% of its three-pointers, a poor rate, and still won, because it got to the line more and collected more rebounds. The numbers also show that the Pelicans' defeat did not come from an off night: shooting 45% overall and 42% from three gave them a decent base. The difference came from the extra possessions the Timberwolves created or converted, with 49 rebounds and 37 free throws attempted. With Ball on the floor, Minnesota were +23. That is the starkest individual margin in an evening that was very evenly balanced before the final quarter.

What's next. Minnesota, 6-3, are 7th in the Western Conference and host the Utah Jazz on 9 November at 1:00 Brazzaville time. New Orleans, 4-4, are 10th and travel to face the Clippers the same day, at 3:00 Brazzaville time.