Alex Bader
The Minnesota Timberwolves dominated the New Orleans Pelicans and won by a score of 110-96 as they cruised their way to a fourth straight win and improved to 8-9 in the process. Minnesota has a chance to get back to .500 with a win against the Miami Heat on Wednesday at home.
KAT has been the leader during this winning streak by coming out with intensity, energy and playing the way he needed to be playing - like a leader.
He did it again tonight by getting 23 points in the first half and being aggressive defensively in the second half.
BADER'S TAKE
A dominant performance over a bad team.
The Minnesota Timberwolves are on a four-game winning streak!
They have done it by beating the teams that they need to be able to beat if they want to have playoff hopes.
Tonight, they laid down a dominant performance over the struggling Pelicans.
In years past, the Wolves would play down to the level of a struggling team and let them stay in the game - heck they have done it this year.
However, on this short winning run the Wolves have come out with intensity and they have looked like a team that wants to win games. They have dominated games at times and were able to pull out gutty wins like the one over the Kings last week to start the streak.
They have played much on the defensive side of the ball. They have held their opponents to under 100 points in the last five games.
They denied the opposition a way back into the game and they closed out in the fourth quarter. They have done this while DLO has had some terrible shooting woes.
DLO was 18.75 percent from the field tonight and had a total of 11 points. He is getting bailed out by his teammates.
However, if this team wants to compete against the better teams in the league - like the Warriors or Suns - they need him to find his stroke and to find it fast.
The Wolves will face a tougher opponent in the Heat on Wednesday and they will need everyone at their best.
This team has come alive and looks like they have figured some things out, but it is only a matter of time to see if they can keep up this level of play for the rest of the season.
Game Recap:
Karl Anthony Towns got off to a great start and just got better as the game progressed, he had the first six points for the Wolves.
With five minutes left in the first quarter, the Wolves had a nine-point lead and looked strong.
However, the Pelicans had a late surge and the Timberwolves went into the second quarter down by one, 29-28 Pelicans.
The Wolves came out in the second quarter and battled their way back to regain the lead.
The Timberwolves got rewarded for their great play and went into halftime with a 16 point lead, 66-50.
The Wolves had a strong third quarter and pushed their lead to 25 points with three minutes left in the third quarter.
Minnesota went into the fourth quarter with a 20 point lead, 89-69.
Minnesota needed to have a strong effort in the fourth quarter to make sure they finished the game out.
The Wolves did just that. They played a clean, strong fourth quarter and came away with the win and earned their first four-game win streak of the season.
Minnesota won by a score of 110-96.
The Timberwolves were led by KAT who went 10-21 from the field with 28 points and 10 rebounds. ANT had 18 points. Vanderbilt - who has been on a tear - had 16 points and 11 rebounds.
DLO's shooting struggles continued. He finished 3-16 from the field with 11 points and eight assists.
The Pelicans were led by Hernangomez who had 19 points and 11 rebounds off the bench.
The Timberwolves have an opportunity to get back to .500 Wednesday when they take on the Miami Heat at the Target Center. The Heat will be playing the second of a back-back and it should prove to be a fruitful chance for the Wolves to get back on track.
What's Next:
Minnesota ( 8-9 ) Vs. Miami ( 11-6 ) Wednesday, Nov. 24, 2021. Tip-off at 7 p. m.
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