Takeaways: Timberwolves make hard work out of 149-142 victory over Pelicans

Chris Hine, The Minnesota Star Tribune on Dec 2, 2025

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NEW ORLEANS – Before Tuesday’s game, Minnesota Timberwolves coach Chris Finch said one of the reasons his team had a slow start to the season on defense is because they began the year “bored.” It was a candid admission from Finch as the team has worked through its defensive issues to start the season.

If Tuesday’s performance was any indication, they aren’t out of the woods at all. The Wolves struggled to stop the New Orleans Pelicans, the worst team in the Western Conference, and one without major contributors like Zion Williamson and Jordan Poole.

The Wolves still came away with a 149-142 overtime victory. Not one of their shining moments, but they avoided total embarrassment.

Anthony Edwards had 44 points and Rudy Gobert had 26 points and 13 rebounds for the Wolves (13-8). Trey Murphy had 33 for the Pelicans (3-19).

Getting to the finish line

Instead of resting to start the fourth quarter, Edwards played the entire time like it was a playoff game. The Wolves were down 15 in the third quarter before coming back to take small leads at various points in the fourth, but they could never get enough stops to pull ahead by a significant margin.

With seven seconds left, trailing by two, the Wolves called timeout to set up a tying or go-ahead shot. Edwards got to the rim for a tying layup with 2.3 left. New Orleans center Derik Queen missed a potential winner.

With the starting lineup in for overtime, the Wolves went on a 6-0 spurt to take a 137-132 lead. Julius Randle had eight points after having just eight in regulation. He finished with 16.

No defense in first half

Much like their performances over the weekend, the Wolves didn’t play much defense in the first half. New Orleans shot 57% for the half and took a 68-58 lead into the halftime locker room. The 16-2 edge the Pelicans had in fast-break points told the story of the half. The Wolves’ commitment to defense just wasn’t there. New Orleans also led in points in the paint 38-24.

Even after makes, the Pelicans were getting out and running, making the Wolves’ effort look nonexistent.

Wolves come back in third

The Wolves didn’t really turn up the defensive intensity in the third; they just outscored New Orleans 42-35 to get back in the game. After falling behind as much as 15, the Wolves got hot on offense, with Edwards pouring in 19 points in the third.

The problem was they still couldn’t stop the Pelicans, who shot 6 for 7 from 3-point range in the third. That all added up to both teams hitting 100 by the start of the fourth, with New Orleans leading 103-100.

Going to Gobert

For the last few seasons, Gobert has been the ultimate floor raiser for the Wolves. When they face a bottom-tier opponent, he brings consistent effort, establishing a tone for the rest of the team. Down the stretch last season, Gobert was the catalyst in helping the Wolves finish their season strong against teams out of the playoffs.

On Tuesday, he helped them get off to a strong start again with 10 points, six rebounds in the first quarter as the Wolves led 31-25.

Slight shift in rotation

Terrence Shannon Jr. had been among the first substitutions Finch brought off the bench in the previous two games, but Shannon didn’t check in Tuesday until the 7:52 mark of the second quarter.

Jaylen Clark was among the first subs in the game in the first quarter along with Mike Conley and Naz Reid. Rob Dillingham came in his usual place of late, about three minutes into the second quarter.

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