Wolves suffocate Hornets from start to finish in blowout win

Minnesota put together one of its better defensive performances of the young season.

Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards (5) drives to the basket past Charlotte Hornets guard Josh Green in the first half at Target Center in Minneapolis on Nov. 4, 2024. / Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images

Ahead of Monday night's game against the Charlotte Hornets, Timberwolves coach Chris Finch said he hadn't felt his team played with its typical defensive competitiveness in the early going, something that he said needed to change.

It changed a few short hours later as his Wolves showed that competitive fire and put together one of their best defensive performances of the season in a 114-93 blowout victory Monday night at Target Center in Minneapolis.

The Wolves (4-3) broke free in the second quarter after playing to a 24-24 draw with the Hornets (2-5) through the opening frame. Charlotte never led after the first quarter as the Wolves' second-unit lineup of Mike Conley, Donte DiVincenzo, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Naz Reid and Rudy Gobert opened the second quarter on a 13-2 run.

Minnesota never looked back.

“We were getting stops, really moving the ball, getting a lot of really good looks," coach Chris Finch said of the second-quarter run. "Thought we got looks, pretty good looks in the first quarter, but we couldn’t really know them down by some guys. And then we started to connect on them. But yeah, just the ball movement, the pace, the purpose was really good.” 

They took a 12-point lead into the half, which ballooned to 20 by the end of the third quarter. The same lineup that broke open the game in the second quarter with the 13-2 run opened the fourth quarter on an 8-0 run and paved the way for the Wolves to play their young guys. Rob Dillingham, in particular, got a huge ovation from the crowd when he checked in.

Overall, the Wolves defense held the Hornets 39.8% shooting from the field and 23.8% shooting from 3-point range. Minnesota won the rebounding battle 45-38 and forced the Hornets into 14 turnovers. The Wolves led by as many as 30.

"I think ball pressure was there, second-layer defense was there, rebounding was there, so it was a good game to kind of get under our belt, get back to kind of who we are,” DiVincenzo said.

Star Hornets guard LaMelo Ball finished with just 19 points on 6-for-15 shooting and two assists to five turnovers.

Reid was a spark plug off the bench for the Wolves as part of that strong second-unit lineup, finishing with a game-high 25 points and nine rebounds while shooting 9 for 13 from the field, including 5 of 7 from 3. Anthony Edwards finished with 21 points and five rebounds. DiVincenzo was good on both ends, tallying 14 points, five boards and a pair of steals.

Finch didn't go beyond his eight-man rotation until all the young guys checked in with the game well in hand midway through the fourth quarter. Dillingham had four points and two assists in eight minutes of game action.

The Wolves return to action on Thursday when they visit the Chicago Bulls for a 7 p.m. tipoff.