Timberwolves starting lineup vs. Pelicans, Digi Mart USA News: The Minnesota Timberwolves have already shown they can handle some of the better teams in the Western Conference early this season. Now they face a matchup that should give them another chance to show the gap between themselves and a team still trying to find its footing.
Minnesota enters Friday night’s game against the New Orleans Pelicans with a 6-3 record after beating the Houston Rockets 117-107 on Wednesday. New Orleans is 4-4 after beating the Utah Jazz 120-113 in its most recent game.
The Pelicans have talented offensive players, led by Zion Williamson and Dejounte Murray, but Minnesota’s starting lineup has advantages in several areas that could make this a difficult matchup for New Orleans. Minnesota is expected to start LaMelo Ball, Ayo Dosunmu, Jaden McDaniels, Jonathan Kuminga and Rudy Gobert.
New Orleans has the highest-scoring individual player in this matchup in Williamson, but Minnesota has the better overall scoring across its roster. Williamson is averaging 20.7 points per game, while Murray is averaging 17.8 and Trey Murphy III is at 14.3.
Minnesota, however, has more players it can rely on night after night.
McDaniels is averaging 17.3 points per game, Dosunmu is at 15.3 and Ball is averaging 14.4. Kuminga adds another 12.9 points per game, along with streaky scoring off the bench from Bones Hyland, who scored 19 points against the Rockets.
The biggest difference is that Minnesota does not need one player to carry its offense. Ball can create shots off the dribble, Dosunmu can attack closeouts, McDaniels has become a more reliable scoring option and Kuminga can pressure the rim.
Gobert also gives Minnesota an efficient option around the basket.
Williamson is a major problem on his own, but Minnesota has more ways to hurt New Orleans. This may be the biggest advantage Minnesota has in the matchup.
The Timberwolves are shooting 38% from three-point range this season, even without Anthony Edwards, and are making 15.1 threes per game. New Orleans is shooting 31.7% from deep while making nine threes per game, which gives Minnesota a significant edge in this category.
Ball offers a high-volume pull-up threat, while McDaniels, Dosunmu and Kuminga are efficient and can punish defenses when left open. Minnesota’s shooting around Gobert also makes it difficult for New Orleans to pack the paint.
Murphy is the Pelicans’ biggest answer as a three-point shooter, and his presence would give them a boost. He is listed as probable for Friday after dealing with bilateral patellar tendinopathy.
Even with Murphy playing, however, Minnesota has considerably more shooting throughout its lineup.
The Pelicans have capable creators, but Minnesota’s starting lineup gives Ball more help. Ball is averaging 6.3 assists per game, while Dosunmu is adding 3.6.
McDaniels and Kuminga can also create offense when they attack closeouts, giving Minnesota several players who can make something happen after the initial action breaks down.
That matters against New Orleans because the Pelicans cannot focus their entire defense on Ball. If a defender is matched up with Ball, Minnesota can put the ball in Dosunmu’s hands.
If New Orleans switches onto a bigger player, Kuminga can attack the mismatch, and McDaniels can make the extra pass rather than force a shot.
Minnesota has the personnel to make New Orleans work for almost every good shot. McDaniels can take on one of the Pelicans’ perimeter threats, while Gobert gives the Wolves a major safety net behind the defense.
That matters against Williamson more than almost anything else. His best offense comes when he gets downhill and pressures the rim.
Gobert can sit behind the action and make those drives more difficult without Minnesota having to send a second defender every time.
McDaniels also gives Minnesota the length to bother bigger wings, while Dosunmu can handle difficult perimeter assignments. The Pelicans have defensive talent, particularly Herb Jones, but their starting lineup does not offer the same combination of size and rim protection.
Minnesota should be able to make New Orleans work much harder for points than the Pelicans can on the other end. Gobert is averaging 12.3 rebounds per game and is surrounded by athletic forwards and guards who help finish possessions.
McDaniels is averaging six rebounds per game, while Kuminga, Ayo and LaMelo also get involved on the glass.
The Pelicans are also without Yves Missi, who has been ruled out with a left knee contusion and bone bruise. That leaves Matković with a larger responsibility against Gobert.
Minnesota does not need to dominate the offensive glass for this to matter.
When Gobert controls the defensive glass, the Wolves can immediately get into transition and force New Orleans to defend before its defense is set. If Minnesota gets second chances on offense, it can put even more pressure on a Pelicans team that must also worry about containing Minnesota’s three-point shooters.
The size difference gives Minnesota a clear advantage here. New Orleans has enough talent to make this game interesting, but the Timberwolves’ starting lineup, even without Edwards, still heavily favors Minnesota and is reflected in the odds.
New Orleans’ best path is clear. Williamson must consistently pressure the paint, Murphy needs to knock down shots, and the Pelicans have to keep Ball from getting comfortable as a scorer and creator.
That is a lot to ask against a Minnesota team that has already shown how dangerous it can be when its offense and defense are both working.
The Pelicans have played well enough recently to earn respect, but this is a matchup where Minnesota should be able to impose its strengths from the start. If the Timberwolves play close to the level they showed against Houston, they should have enough advantages to turn this into a comfortable win.
