Timberwolves Hold Lead to Beat Pelicans
Ayo Dosunmu scored 26 points as Minnesota extended its winning streak in the NBA Cup with a 115-109 win in New Orleans.
By Nikolai Morales ·
The Minnesota Timberwolves held off the New Orleans Pelicans 115-109 on Friday night, keeping their NBA Cup record at 2-0. Ayo Dosunmu led the offense with 26 points. The victory extended Minnesota's overall season record to 7-3. New Orleans fell to 4-5, ending a four-game winning streak. The Pelicans dropped to 0-1 in Cup play.
The game swung late in the third quarter. Dejounte Murray hit a three-pointer to give New Orleans an 89-87 lead with 7:55 remaining. LaMelo Ball answered with five straight points. The Timberwolves then outscored the Pelicans 10-2 to take a 97-91 lead. Minnesota maintained that advantage for the final minutes.
Ball finished with 22 points and eight assists. Jaden McDaniels added 23 points for Minnesota. The Timberwolves started hot, hitting five three-pointers in the first quarter. Dosunmu scored two of those triples as Minnesota built a 13-5 lead. The Pelicans responded with three threes from Karlo Matkovic during a 17-4 run. Jeremiah Fears put the ball in the bucket to give New Orleans a 24-22 lead.
Jeremiah Fears led the Pelicans with 24 points. Saddiq Bey scored 17. Zion Williamson, who had been averaging 21.5 points per game, finished with a season-low 13 points.
The Timberwolves host the Utah Jazz on Sunday night. The Pelicans travel to face the Los Angeles Clippers on the same night.
