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Minnesota is coming off a dominant 124-106 victory over the
Houston Rockets in its season opener Wednesday night. The
Timberwolves held a 72-45 lead at halftime and never looked back
as they shot 48.3 percent from the field and sank 16 3-pointers.
Karl-Anthony Towns had 30 points and 10 rebounds in the win, and
Anthony Edwards finished with 29 points while draining six of
his 12 attempts from 3-point range. Long-distance shooting was a
point of emphasis for Edwards during the offseason.
"In order for the lane to open up, you've got to shoot threes or
make them respect the jumper," Edwards said. "For me to get
downhill -- which I'm very good at -- I've got to hit jumpers.
That's why I worked on it so much."
Meanwhile, New Orleans is searching for its first win after
sustaining consecutive losses to the Philadelphia 76ers and
Chicago Bulls. The Pelicans fell short by 20 points against
Philadelphia, then lost 128-112 on Friday at Chicago.
Brandon Ingram provided a bright spot for New Orleans against
the Bulls by scoring 26 points, grabbing eight rebounds and
dishing eight assists. Jonas Valanciunas made eight of his 11
shots and finished with 18 points and eight boards.
However, New Orleans could not limit its opponents' scoring for
the second game in a row. Now, the Pelicans will try to regroup
on short rest in another hostile environment.
Pelicans first-year coach Willie Green has earned the respect of
his team despite a difficult start. Green played in 731 NBA
games, making 297 starts, during 12 seasons with five teams.
"Great demeanor for an NBA head coach in this day and age, in my
opinion," Pelicans guard Garrett Temple said when asked about
Green. "Very poised, very calm. He's serious, but not too
serious. He can command a room and has a presence about him that
you need, but he's also very easy to talk to, which is something
you also need."
Veteran guard Patrick Beverley will make his debut for the
Timberwolves after serving a one-game suspension in the season
opener for shoving Chris Paul during the Western Conference
finals. Minnesota acquired the 33-year-old during the offseason
to provide a defensive spark on the court and leadership off of
it.
"(I'm) excited to get out there and compete, of course, go out
there and get better," Beverley said. "Build it brick by brick
until we have a nice, pretty house at the end of the year."
Timberwolves guard D'Angelo Russell will look to continue his
hot start. He had 22 points and seven assists in his season
debut.
The teams faced each other three times last season, with the
Timberwolves holding a 2-1 advantage. Minnesota posted a 120-110
win on Jan. 23 and a 135-105 victory on March 11, but New
Orleans responded with a 140-136 overtime triumph on May 1.
--Field Level Media
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