After a disappointing defeat to the short-handed Indiana Pacers, the Minnesota Timberwolves should be angry. They had one of the most disheartening results of the season, and they can take out their frustrations against the New Orleans Pelicans.
This is a game where Minnesota is the heavily favored team, but they must not be complacent. They already did that in the previous game against Indiana, a team that did not have their top three players.
The silver lining from losing to the Pacers was that their primary Playoff race rival, the Golden State Warriors, also lost on Monday, putting them on a 39-29 record.
The Timberwolves have a 40-30 tally this season, and they will want to keep this going for the last 12 games of the season. The first game of this final stretch is against the 14th-seeded Pelicans, a team that can be dangerous.
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Zion And The Pelicans Can Be Surprising
New Orleans has always been an interesting team to follow. They have some of the most promising players in the league, but they always seem to have issues. Injuries, players underperforming, and poor roster construction are often the problems the Pelicans face.
Despite their struggles, they still have some good players on the team. Zion Williamson leads the charge as the team's superstar player.
He is averaging 24.4 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 5.2 assists this season. That is a decent stat line for an All-Star who has more room to grow.
Zion Williamson tonight:
30 Points
6 Rebounds
3 Assists
2 Blocks
28 Minutes
Tough L. pic.twitter.com/fnnbOax0eO
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) March 18, 2025
Against the Timberwolves, he will have a tougher time because of Minnesota's staunch defense led by Rudy Gobert. Jalen McDaniels and Julius Randle will also be a handful to deal with, even for a physical beast like Williamson.
CJ McCollum is another player who can have a magical performance. He is one of the NBA's most underrated players, considering he has not received an All-Star nod despite averaging 20+ points a night for almost a decade.
Thankfully for Minnesota, they have the talent advantage against their bottom-dwelling opponents. It is a lopsided game based on expectations, but coach Chris Finch must set his Timberwolves straight so they won't be complacent.
Injury Report for Timberwolves vs Pelicans
The Timberwolves are in their healthiest stretch of the season, playing consecutive games without any injured players.
This should also mean they should be accountable for the loss in the previous game. It is a tough matchup even though New Orleans has an extensive injury report.
Pelicans fans have been unhappy with their injury list this season, as they have three core players out injured. Dejounte Murray, Herbert Jones, and Trey Murphy III all deal with long-term injuries. Lastly, Brandon Boston is sidelined for at least the next two weeks.
Minnesota has a tough task ahead with this visiting New Orleans team, but they are heavily favored to win. It will be a good game to have a bounce-back performance, considering this is the first leg of two games against the Pelicans.
Related: What We Learned From Minnesota's Crushing Loss To Indiana
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This story was originally published March 18, 2025 at 7:39 PM.