On a Friday night in Orlando, the Minnesota Timberwolves beat the Magic 115-93 even though Anthony Edwards, who had dazzled in Miami only two nights earlier, struggled badly from the floor. The game turned less on who scored than on who kept possessions alive: Minnesota controlled the boards, and its offensive rebounding produced the second-chance points that quietly decided the outcome. It is the sort of night in a young season when a team learns that its strength does not always depend on its brightest star.
Edwards Quiet, but Timberwolves Win Glass Battle and Roll Past Magic 115-93
Edwards missed 10 straight shots, and Minnesota still won by 22.
Mark
Edwards goes 5 of 23 and Minnesota still wins by 22. How does that happen?
Mimi
Rebounding, mostly. They won it 60-43, and the offensive boards were 21-8. That turned into 17 second-chance points.
Mark
Orlando didn't get an offensive rebound for the first 19 minutes. That's a long stretch.
Mimi
It is. Minnesota controlled possessions early, and the third quarter, 29-15, made it a 26-point game.
Luke
Worth saying what the box score does and doesn't tell us. It shows Orlando shot 20.5% from three, which hurt them a lot. It doesn't tell us how much of that was Minnesota's defense and how much was just missed shots.
Mark
Fair. And Edwards' night?
Mimi
He hit his first three, then missed ten straight field goals. The report says Orlando largely held him in check.
Luke
Right, but 'held in check' is the framing. We have the shooting line, not a breakdown of the coverage, so I wouldn't say more than that.
Mark
Banchero left with an ankle issue.
Luke
Right ankle soreness, and he sat the fourth quarter. Nothing more is reported, so his status for Sunday is unknown.
Mimi
Next up, Minnesota hosts Toronto and Orlando visits the Knicks, both Sunday.
El Pulso
- Edwards starts with a three and then misses his next ten field goals, leaving the team's most electric scorer stranded in the middle of a cold night.
- Minnesota drags down 21 offensive rebounds to Orlando's 8, and the Magic cannot grab a single one for nearly the first twenty minutes.
- Orlando's perimeter shooting collapses to 20.5 percent from three, with Franz Wagner and Desmond Bane combining for just 2 of 15.
- A 29-15 third quarter stretches the lead to 26, and Chris Finch rests his starters, LaMelo Ball among them, for most of the fourth.
- Minnesota moves to 2-0 and turns its attention to Toronto on Sunday, while Orlando, now 0-2, carries its shooting woes to New York.
On a Friday night in Orlando, the Minnesota Timberwolves beat the Magic 115-93 even though Anthony Edwards, who had dazzled in Miami only two nights earlier, struggled badly from the floor. The game turned less on who scored than on who kept possessions alive: Minnesota controlled the boards, and its offensive rebounding produced the second-chance points that quietly decided the outcome. It is the sort of night in a young season when a team learns that its strength does not always depend on its brightest star.
Anthony Edwards opened the night in Orlando with a three-pointer and then went cold. He missed his next ten shots, and by the end he had 15 points on 5-of-23 shooting, a sharp fall from the 45 points he scored at Miami two nights before. Minnesota still beat the Magic 115-93.
What carried the Timberwolves was the glass. They outrebounded Orlando 60-43, with a 21-8 edge on the offensive boards that turned into 17 second-chance points. For nearly the first twenty minutes, the Magic grabbed no offensive rebounds at all. Jaden McDaniels matched Edwards with 15 points, and Rudy Gobert added 14 and nine rebounds.
Minnesota never trailed. The third quarter decided the game, a 29-15 run that opened a 26-point lead and let coach Chris Finch rest most of his starters, LaMelo Ball included, through the fourth. The win gave the Timberwolves their best start since they opened 2-0 five years ago.
Orlando's loss came from its shooting. The Magic hit only 20.5 percent of their threes, with Franz Wagner at 1 for 6 and Desmond Bane at 1 for 9. Wagner still scored 18. Wendell Carter Jr. led Orlando with 20 points and nine rebounds, while Paolo Banchero, with 14 points, sat out the fourth quarter with right ankle soreness. The Magic fall to 0-2 and head to New York on Sunday, the same day Minnesota hosts Toronto.
Anthony Edwards opened the night in Orlando with a 3-pointer for his first points, and then the shots stopped falling. He missed his next 10 field goals. Two nights after a 45-point performance at Miami, he finished 5 of 23 from the floor and 2 of 9 from beyond the arc, with 15 points. The Minnesota Timberwolves beat the Orlando Magic 115-93 on Friday night anyway.
The reason was the glass. Minnesota outrebounded Orlando 60-43, and the gap was widest on the offensive end, where the Timberwolves held a 21-8 edge. Those extra possessions produced 17 second-chance points. For the first 19 minutes of the game, the Magic did not grab a single offensive rebound.
Jaden McDaniels matched Edwards with 15 points, and Rudy Gobert added 14 points and nine rebounds. The win moved Minnesota to 2-0, its best start since it won its first two games five years ago.
Minnesota never trailed. The game was effectively settled in the third quarter, when the Timberwolves outscored Orlando 29-15 and built a 26-point lead. That allowed head coach Chris Finch to sit most of his starters, guard LaMelo Ball among them, for the bulk of the fourth quarter.
Orlando's night was undone by its shooting. The Magic made 44% of their field goals and only 20.5% of their 3-pointers. Franz Wagner went 1 for 6 from deep and Desmond Bane went 1 for 9, a combined 2 for 15. Wagner still scored 18 points. Minnesota also held Orlando to seven points off seven turnovers.
Wendell Carter Jr. led the Magic with 20 points and nine rebounds. Paolo Banchero added 14 points and six rebounds but sat out the fourth quarter with right ankle soreness. Orlando's defense did largely contain Edwards, yet that was not enough to offset the rebounding deficit and the cold perimeter shooting.
Orlando falls to 0-2. The Magic travel to face the New York Knicks on Sunday, the same day Minnesota hosts Toronto.
Quieres la nota completa?
Lee el original en WTOP ↗
General News