Anthony Edwards scored 26 points and had a season-high eight assists and the Minnesota Timberwolves beat the short-handed New Orleans Pelicans 122-101 on Wednesday night.
Karl-Anthony Towns scored 23 points on 9-of-12 shooting and Rudy Gobert had 17 points and 20 rebounds to help Minnesota win its fourth straight game.
New Orleans was without its two leading scorers, with Zion Williamson out for personal reasons and CJ McCollum sidelined for the second straight game by a collapsed lung.
The Pelicans struggled to fill the void on offense. Brandon Ingram was one of the only Pelicans who produced much offensively in the first half, leading the way with 17 of his team-high 24 points in the first half.
Jordan Hawkins added 14 for the Pelicans, who have lost three straight after opening 4-1. New Orleans shot 38.7% from the floor.
Minnesota was hot from 3-point range early. The Wolves hit five of their first six shots from deep to grab a 17-6 lead. Mike Conley connected on four 3-pointers in the first half to extend Minnesota’s advantage.
Edwards, who drew a few “MVP!” “MVP!” chants from the crowd at Target Center, was a facilitator on offense for Minnesota. He also continued his strong defensive play, finishing with a pair of blocks that included a chase down play to thwart a Dyson Daniels layup.