Dosunmu's 26 Leads Short-Handed Timberwolves Past Pelicans 115-109 to Stay Perfect in NBA Cup

The Minnesota Timberwolves keep finding ways to win without their best player, and on Friday night in New Orleans it was Ayo Dosunmu who carried them home. The guard scored 26 points on just 14 shots, Jaden McDaniels added 23, and LaMelo Ball chipped in 22 points and eight assists as the Timberwolves beat the New Orleans Pelicans 115-109 in an NBA Cup West Group B game at the Smoothie King Center, outscoring the hosts 38-30 in a fourth quarter that swung the game for good. Minnesota arrived in New Orleans short-handed in the extreme. Anthony Edwards, Donte DiVincenzo and Terrence Shannon Jr. were all out, leaving Ball and Dosunmu with far more responsibility than usual. Early on, it looked like the plan would work smoothly. The Wolves hit five three-pointers in the first quarter, two of them from Dosunmu, to jump out to a 13-5 lead, and they carried a 57-51 advantage into half-time after outscoring New Orleans 30-21 in the second quarter. But the Pelicans, riding a four-game winning streak, refused to go away. They won the third quarter 28-20 to take the lead into the final stretch, and when Dejounte Murray buried a three-pointer with 7:55 left, New Orleans led 89-87 and the building believed an upset of sorts was coming. That was the moment Minnesota's night turned. Ball scored five consecutive points, including a driving finger roll to tie the game at 89 and a three to put the Wolves ahead, sparking a 10-2 run that made it 97-91. Minnesota never trailed again. The closing minutes were about execution, and the Wolves were the steadier side. New Orleans pulled within 104-99 on a Saddiq Bey three-pointer with 2:53 left, but the Pelicans missed their next two shots, Dosunmu answered with a three of his own, and McDaniels sank two free throws to stretch the lead to ten with 1:32 remaining. Jeremiah Fears, who led New Orleans with 24 points, cut it to 113-109 with 12 seconds left, but Jonathan Kuminga dunked on the other end to settle it. Dosunmu's line was the kind that wins games quietly: 8-of-14 from the field, 4-of-6 from three, a perfect 6-of-6 at the free-throw line, plus a block at the rim on Herbert Jones that stood out as one of the defensive plays of the night. McDaniels added six rebounds and five assists to his 23 points, Kuminga scored 17, Rudy Gobert contributed eight points and 11 rebounds, and Trey Lyles grabbed a season-high 13 boards. For New Orleans, Karlo Matkovic added 18 points and Bey had 17, but Zion Williamson, who came in averaging 21.5 points a game, was held to a season-low 13. The result keeps Minnesota perfect in the NBA Cup at 2-0 and lifts the Wolves to 7-3 overall, winners of three straight and four of their last five. The Pelicans fall to 4-5 and 0-1 in Cup play, their winning run over. There was a cost for Minnesota too: second-year centre Joan Beringer was forced out of the game with a nasal fracture. The Wolves host the Utah Jazz on Sunday night; New Orleans visits the Los Angeles Clippers the same evening.