Timberwolves dominate short-handed Magic

Minnesota held Orlando to 37 points in the first half, a season best.

The short-handed Orlando Magic looked overmatched from the opening tip of Tuesday night’s game against the Timberwolves.

To be fair, they were down five key players in Wendell Carter Jr., Gary Harris, Joe Ingles, Jonathan Isaac and Franz Wagner — all ruled out before the game due to injury. But there was still a game to be played, and a determined Timberwolves team coming off a loss Sunday to the Dallas Mavericks was ready to run them off the floor.

Behind some bully ball from Karl-Anthony Towns and Rudy Gobert and some great defense by Jaden McDaniels, the Timberwolves buried the Magic 113-92 at the Kia Center in Orlando, Fla.

Towns had a game-high 28 points, six rebounds and five assists, while Gobert recorded 21 points, 12 rebounds and a trio of blocks. Both took control of the game early, helping the Wolves to a 33-16 advantage after the first quarter, with each scoring 11 points apiece in the frame.

The Wolves (26-10) pushed that lead to 30 by halftime, taking a 67-37 advantage into the second half. The 37 points by the Magic (21-16) were the least allowed by the Timberwolves in a half all season.

Anthony Edwards scored just six points in 25 minutes played. He sat for significant stretches during the first half after picking up his third foul early in the second quarter.

Mo Wagner led the Magic with 21 points and eight rebounds off the bench. Minnehaha Academy grad Jalen Suggs had 20 points, five rebounds, three steals and two assists, and Paolo Banchero scored 18 on 8-for-22 shooting, a credit to McDaniels' defense.

But the Magic never had an answer for Towns or Gobert, and the Wolves ran their short-handed opponent off the floor when they needed to coming off Sunday’s loss in Dallas and with a game against NBA-leading Boston ahead Wednesday night. Tipoff for that game is set for 6 p.m.

Final key stats

• Karl-Anthony Towns: 28 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals
• Rudy Gobert: 21 points, 12 rebounds, 3 blocks, 1 assist, 1 steal
• Jaden McDaniels: 15 points, 9 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal
• Naz Reid: 13 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists
• Mike Conley: 11 points, 10 assists, 3 rebounds, 2 steals
• Kyle Anderson: 11 points, 3 assists, 1 rebound
• Mo Wagner: 21 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals
• Jalen Suggs: 20 points, 5 rebounds, 3 steals, 2 assists
• Paolo Banchero: 18 points on 8-for-22 shooting, 3 assists, 3 steals, 2 rebounds, 1 block