Anthony Edwards exploded for a season-high 44 points, 34 of them in the second half, and forced overtime with a late driving layup before Julius Randle took over in the extra session, lifting the Minnesota Timberwolves to a 149–142 win over the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday night.
Edwards, who entered averaging 37.2 points over his previous five games, started slowly from deep, missing four of his first five 3-point attempts. But he caught fire in the second half, knocking down 5 of 8 from long range and repeatedly carrying the Wolves’ offense.
With Minnesota trailing 129–125 in the final minute of regulation, Edwards powered to the rim past Jose Alvarado for the tying layup with 2.3 seconds left. New Orleans, which had just taken control on a Derik Queen dunk with 1:03 remaining, failed to score again in regulation.
Trey Murphy III led six Pelicans in double figures with 33 points. Saddiq Bey scored 22, while rookies Queen and Jeremiah Fears each added 21 for New Orleans, which owns the league’s worst record at 3–19 and has now dropped 13 of its last 14.
Rudy Gobert posted 26 points and 13 rebounds for Minnesota, throwing down three dunks in overtime to help secure the win. Jaden McDaniels added 17 points and Randle finished with 16 as the Timberwolves won their third straight.
New Orleans controlled long stretches of the first half, ripping off a 15–0 run to flip a 55–53 deficit into a 68–55 lead late in the second quarter. Bey scored seven during the surge and Murphy added five, part of an 11-point second quarter for him as the Pelicans outscored Minnesota 43–27 in the period.
The Pelicans were once again without Zion Williamson, sidelined for the 12th time in 23 games with a right adductor strain. The team’s leading scorer has averaged 22.1 points and 5.6 rebounds in his 10 appearances this season.
Up next:
The Pelicans host the Timberwolves again on Thursday night.
