Pelicans' Offense Fizzles Against T-Wolves, Drops Regular-Season Finale
The New Orleans Pelicans' regular season has ended on a sour note with the 113-108 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday afternoon. They will enter the NBA Play-In Tournament with a 42-40 record. New Orleans must win two straight games to qualify for the playoffs.
Brandon Ingram did his best to keep the Pelicans' hopes of avoiding the Play-In entirely alive. Ingram finished with a season-high 42 points, including 21 in the first quarter to pace New Orleans' scoring. Ingram outscored the Wolves' team 21-18 in the quarter, and New Orleans led 30-18 after the first 12 minutes.
Tempers flared in the second quarter for Minnesota when Rudy Gobert had a heated exchange with Kyle Anderson before halftime and punched the Wolves forward on the Minnesota bench. Teammates would separate the two before Gobert would head into the locker room. Minnesota ultimately sent Gobert home for the rest of the afternoon.
New Orleans could not capitalize on the loss of Gobert, as their offense stalled in the fourth quarter. New Orleans went almost five minutes without a made basket down the stretch, led by Anthony Edwards, who made a couple of dazzling plays in the quarter. Edwards had 26 points and 13 rebounds on the evening, including a crucial three-point play with under a minute to go that extended the lead to five.
Apr 9, 2023; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards (1) blocks the shot of New Orleans Pelicans guard CJ McCollum (3) late during the fourth quarter at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports
Aside from Ingram, the rest of the Pelicans players did not have good game shooting. CJ McCollum finished with 23 points, but it came off 24 shots. New Orleans, as a team, made three 3-point attempts the entire game. Minnesota made 13 and was a +30 in that category. New Orleans also committed 15 turnovers which the Wolves turned into 27 points.
Karl-Anthony Towns led the way for Minnesota with 30 points, but the Wolves bench thoroughly outplayed the Pelicans. Minnesota's bench outscored New Orleans 37-8. Bench scoring has been an issue for the Pelicans, and it showed on Sunday.
New Orleans will look to regroup as they find themselves in a similar situation as last season.
To get to the playoffs, the Pelicans have to win a home game and then travel on the road to win another to qualify for the playoffs. New Orleans hosts Oklahoma City on Wednesday night in the Smoothie King Center. The Pelicans won the season series with the Thunder 3-1 this year.
