The New Orleans Pelicans will enter Friday’s matchup with the Minnesota Timberwolves carrying two names on the injury report, while Minnesota lists three injured players ahead of the 8 p.m. ET tip at Smoothie King Center.
For New Orleans, Trey Murphy III is day-to-day with a patellar issue, and Yves Missi is out with a knee injury.
The Pelicans come in at 4-4 and have leaned on Zion Williamson, who leads the team with 21.5 points per game. Dejounte Murray has been a major all-around piece in his five games, averaging 18.2 points, 6.2 rebounds and 5.6 assists.
Saddiq Bey is scoring 16.4 per game, while Murphy has been putting up 14.9 points and a team-best 2.1 made threes per game before landing on the injury report. Jeremiah Fears is adding 13.6 points and 4.5 assists per game.
New Orleans has been one of the league’s better scoring teams, averaging 121.6 points per game, which ranks third in the NBA. The defensive side has been a different story, though, with the Pelicans allowing 119.3 per game.
That leaves them with a +19 scoring differential. They’re also averaging 44.9 rebounds per game, 11th in the league, while Derik Queen leads the club with 7.9 boards per game.
Minnesota arrives at 6-3 and has been winning the possession battle in a big way. The Timberwolves are outscoring opponents by 11.2 points per game, putting up 118.8 while giving up just 107.6. They rank sixth in scoring and fourth in points allowed, with a +101 scoring differential overall.
LaMelo Ball leads Minnesota with 17.2 points per game and also tops the team with 3.3 made threes per game. Jaden McDaniels is averaging 16.4 points and 6.2 rebounds, while Ayo Dosunmu is contributing 16.3 points and 4.3 assists. Jonathan Kuminga is adding 12.7 points and 5.7 rebounds, and Terrence Shannon Jr. is scoring 12 points per game in seven appearances.
The Timberwolves have also been strong on the glass, ranking second in the NBA with 49.2 rebounds per game. Rudy Gobert is fifth in the league with 11.9 rebounds per game and leads Minnesota in that category. From deep, the Timberwolves are hitting 15.1 three-pointers per game, sixth-most in the league, and Ball’s 3.3 makes per game rank 14th in the NBA.
New Orleans, by contrast, has struggled from long range. The Pelicans are averaging 9 made threes per game, which ranks 29th in the league, and they’re shooting 31.7% from beyond the arc. Trey Murphy III leads the team with 2.1 made threes per game, ranking 49th in the NBA.
In Other News...
Anthony Edwards Return Could Change Everything For Timberwolves Contention
Ayo Dosunmu took a moment to speak directly to Timberwolves fans, and his message centered on the kind of edge Anthony Edwards brings every time he steps on the floor. Dosunmu praised Edwards for his trash-talking and competitive fire, saying the star guard carries himself like the sort of player who can tilt a game just by being in it. He also pointed to the intensity Edwards shows in practice, a reminder that the Wolves tone often starts long before tipoff.
With Edwards working his way back from knee surgery, the conversation in Minnesota is less about what the team is right now and more about what it could become once he returns. Dosunmus note was essentially a vote of confidence in the Wolves ceiling, with Edwards presence viewed as the kind of addition that can change the way opponents have to prepare. For a team trying to keep its contention window open, that kind of optimism carries real weight. [Read more 🡒]
Timberwolves Defense Is Giving This Team A Real Title Case
The early-season case for Minnesota has been built less on flash than on resistance. Through nine games, the Timberwolves have stayed near the top of the league in defensive rating, and the groups identity is already looking familiar: Rudy Gobert anchoring the paint, Jaden McDaniels hounding wings, and a supporting cast that has kept opponents from getting comfortable. It is the kind of foundation that travels, and it showed up again in a recent win over Houston, a game that asked Minnesota to deal with one of the better offenses in the league.
What stood out in that matchup was how little the Rockets were allowed to breathe. Minnesotas length and discipline made every possession feel crowded, and the Wolves were able to keep the game on their terms against a team that had been rolling. For a roster still sorting out its broader ceiling, that kind of defensive consistency is the clearest sign that the floor is high, and maybe even higher than some expected this early. [Read more 🡒]
LaMelo Ball Trade Already Looks Better For The Timberwolves
Minnesotas offense has looked noticeably sharper since LaMelo Ball arrived, and the early returns fit the profile that made him such an appealing target in the first place. He has a way of creating clean looks, pushing the pace and making the players around him easier to fit into the flow, which is exactly the kind of lift the Timberwolves were hoping for when they made the move.
The deal was costly, with Naz Reid and a package of future picks heading to Charlotte, but the immediate on-court payoff is hard to ignore. For Minnesota, the question now is less about whether Ball can elevate the group and more about how high the offense can climb if this level of efficiency holds. [Read more 🡒]