Wolves have no answer for Zion Williamson in loss to lowly Pelicans

Williamson matched a game high with 29 points and added eight assists and five rebounds Wednesday night.

Nolan O'Hara | Mar 19, 2025

New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson shoots the ball over Minnesota Timberwolves center Naz Reid in the first half at Target Center in Minneapolis on March 19, 2025. / Jesse Johnson / Imagn Images

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Minnesota Timberwolves

The Minnesota Timberwolves simply had no answer for Zion Williamson.

It didn't matter who they threw at him, or how many players they threw at him, the New Orleans Pelicans forward either found a way to finish at the rim or find his teammates a wide-open shot. That resulted in the Wolves dropping their second straight contest to a bottom feeder, falling to the Pelicans 119-115 Wednesday night at Target Center in Minneapolis.

"(Williamson) tough. He a tough cover, man," said Anthony Edwards, who matched a game high with 29 points.

It was Williamson's layup to put the Pelicans (19-51) up 119-115 with 13.6 seconds left that was essentially the dagger. It came after CJ McCollum grabbed an offensive rebound, which was a growing theme down the stretch of the game. So was Williamson finding his way to the rim — that was a trend all night long. He looked like an unstoppable force all game.

"His touch around the rim. He take off from so far you think like he ain't gonna get to the rim, and every time he's like finger rolling it at the rim, off the glass," Edwards said. "I'm not gonna lie, he's incredible. He's incredible."

Williamson matched the game high with 29 points and did so on 12-for-16 shooting. When he wasn't going up over one, two or three defenders at the rim, he passing open his teammates on his way to a game-high eight assists. He also pulled down five rebounds, and defensively, he came up with a trio of steals. It was a truly dominant two-way performance.

"We need another line of defense and it starts at the rim," Wolves coach Chris Finch said of defending Williamson. "We were soft, we got out of the way too much. We know what he's trying to do. We got to do a better job of slowing down the point of attack, but it's hard for one person. We gotta show bodies in the crowd, we gotta show bodies at the rim."

The Wolves (40-31) nevertheless had their opportunities. They started strong and outscored the Pelicans 30-24 in the first quarter. They held multiple narrow leads in the fourth quarter in a game that featured 22 lead changes and 19 ties. But 14 turnovers and 11 offensive rebounds for New Orleans stood out in Minnesota's demise. The Pelicans had 15 second-chance points, including Williamson's game-sealer. Yves Missi and Bruce Brown each had three offensive boards.

Unlike the last time out against the Indiana Pacers, the Wolves didn't doom themselves offensively in the late-game minutes. They generated good looks, they just didn't fall. They moved the ball and didn't play hero ball, but it didn't change the outcome. Defensively, though, they couldn't contain the Pelicans and they couldn't keep them off the offensive glass.

"We missed a wide-open 3, we missed a layup, we missed some free throws," Finch said. "Those are shots that we are pretty happy with in general, and then at the other end of the floor, we couldn't get a rebound. That's it."

Edwards did a good job of drawing fouls at the rim, scoring 15 of his 29 points from the free-throw line, but he shot just 5 for 19 and missed a layup late and a 3-pointer after Williamson's layup iced the game. Randle scored 17 points but had six turnovers, which he lamented after the game. Mike Conley scored 16 points on 6-for-8 shooting and had a pair of assists. Rudy Gobert had 10 points and nine rebounds, but was subbed off late and watched the end of the game from the bench.

No matter what the Wolves threw at Williamson, it didn't work, something they'll need to figure out before they meet the Pelicans for a rematch at Target Center on Friday.

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