MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES AT NEW ORLEANS PELICANS
Wednesday, December 28 (7 p.m.)
Is Minnesota-New Orleans a Western Conference matchup that NBA fans will pay close attention to for years to come? It seems possible, particularly if the Timberwolves and Pelicans live up to their potential, partly led by recent No. 1 overall draft picks Anthony Edwards (2020) and Zion Williamson (2019), as well as several other young talents. New Orleans strengthened the top of its roster last season when it traded for veteran guard CJ McCollum; Minnesota did something similar this summer when it signed veteran center Rudy Gobert. Did we mention that these clubs also feature recent West All-Star picks Karl-Anthony Towns (No. 1 overall pick in 2015) and Brandon Ingram (No. 2 in 2016)?
Where does it fall on New Orleans time?
The Pelicans hope to improve their standings during a post-Christmas stretch in which they will play three straight home games, as well as five at home in a seven-game span. The matchup against the Timberwolves is the half game of a homestand that also features Indiana (Dec. 26) and Philadelphia (Dec. 30).
What’s new in Minnesota?
Gobert was the Timberwolves’ summer headline-grabbing addition, but in an effort to move up the West standings and eventually become a perennial force in the playoffs, Minnesota also landed role players Kyle Anderson, Austin Rivers and Bryan Forbes. The Wolves lost three significant contributors in the Gobert trade, dealing Patrick Beverley, Jarred Vanderbilt and Malik Beasley to Utah.
Other 2022-23 matches between these teams
Wednesday, January 25, Minnesota at New Orleans
Sunday April 9, New Orleans in Minnesota
New Orleans record vs. minnesota last season
2-2 (1-1 at New Orleans, 1-1 at Minnesota)
The Pelicans’ two wins over the Timberwolves were very notable. The first came at the Target Center in October and marked the first win of Willie Green’s career as an NBA head coach. The latter occurred at the Smoothie King Center when Ingram buried a deep 3-pointer with three-tenths of a second remaining in regulation, wrapping up a 128-125 decision.
#PelicansHomeGamesBracket
Surprisingly, Minnesota eliminated perennial NBA fan attraction Golden State in the quarterfinal round by a 60-40 percent margin. That pushed the Timberwolves into a semifinal meeting with the Lakers, but Los Angeles dominated, with 75 percent of the vote on Twitter.
