Timberwolves win chaotic battle with Pelicans, will face Lakers in Play-In Tournament
The Minnesota Timberwolves' battle with the New Orleans Pelicans had everything with punches thrown and a thrilling ending but when the horn sounded, the Timberwolves earned a 113-108 victory and the eighth seed in the NBA Play-In Tournament.
The win sets up the Wolves with a Tuesday matchup with the Los Angeles Lakers with the No. 7 seed on the line. If they win that game, they'll make the playoffs for the second straight year but a loss means a do-or-die matchup against the winner of the game between the ninth-seeded Pelicans and the 10th-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday night.
The path to get to the eighth seed was a rocky one as the Timberwolves were a team in turmoil throughout the first half. Jaden McDaniels suffered a hand injury after punching a wall in the tunnel after picking up his second foul late in the first quarter. McDaniels was shown icing his hand shortly after the incident and did not play in the second half.
Jaden McDaniels punched a wall so hard he put himself out of the game pic.twitter.com/QJQFoMI1i2
— Pelicans Film Room (@PelsFilmRoom) April 9, 2023
Things got worse midway through the second quarter when Rudy Gobert got into an altercation with Kyle Anderson during a timeout. After the two exchanged words, Gobert threw a punch at Anderson and was escorted to the locker room by Timberwolves staff.
Things are getting heated in the huddle. 👀#RaisedByWolves | #NBA pic.twitter.com/Crp96MtqEc
— Bally Sports North (@BallySportsNOR) April 9, 2023
According to The Athletic's Shams Charania, the Timberwolves sent Gobert home after the incident and he did not play for the rest of the game.
The Timberwolves trailed by as many as 14 points in the third quarter but found a way to take an 86-85 lead on Karl-Anthony Towns's 3-pointer with 11:26 left in the fourth quarter.
The game eventually came down to the final minutes as the Timberwolves had a 106-104 lead. After Mike Conley prevented Brandon Ingram from getting the ball, Edwards met C.J. McCollum for a block at the rim before scoring on a tip-in on the other end to make it a 108-104 game.
Anthony Edwards incredible block + finish through contact, wow pic.twitter.com/PKUfH06ZE6
— Timberwolves Clips (@WolvesClips) April 9, 2023
The Pelicans eventually made it a 111-108 game in the final seconds of the fourth quarter but the Timberwolves found a way to run out the clock and come away with the victory.
Towns finished with a game-high 30 points and eight rebounds while Edwards had 26 points and 13 rebounds. Mike Conley had 17 points and seven assists and Taurean Prince had 18 points off the bench.
