Timberwolves blow 18-point second-half lead in 119-115 loss to Pelicans

The Timberwolves can’t get Ayo Dosunmu on the floor fast enough.

Their newest prize acquisition sat out his first game with the team against New Orleans as the trade the Wolves made with the Bulls gets finalized, so the Wolves took the floor without him.

The same team that has struggled with a lack of defensive focus and intensity — something Dosunmu can help with — showed up again in a 119-115 loss to the Pelicans on Friday, Feb. 6, at Target Center.

“We got up 18, and we just relaxed,” Wolves coach Chris Finch said. “You could feel it, you could see it.”

The Wolves had no answer for Zion Williamson, who had 29 points for New Orleans. Anthony Edwards had 35 points for the Wolves while Julius Randle and Bones Hyland each scored 20.

But the Wolves shot 43% from the floor to New Orleans’ 54%, with the Wolves’ best perimeter defender, Jaden McDaniels, getting in foul trouble. McDaniels had just six points in 22 minutes. Donte DiVincenzo also had just six points on 2-for-10 shooting.

The Wolves were coasting in the second half, up 18 and seemed to have this one on lock. But early in the game, New Orleans showed a propensity to beat the Wolves in transition, which carried through that second half.

The Wolves led 77-59 early in the third, but halfway through the fourth, it was gone. Williamson got to the hoop whenever he wanted. New Orleans grabbed a 112-106 lead with 3:01 to play.

“Often times, we do build leads, and instead of going for the kill, we relax,” Finch said, “You can’t do that in the league anymore. You never could, really.”

The Wolves clawed back to tie it before two Bey free throws put the Pelicans ahead 114-112. Hyland hit a three to put the Wolves up 115-114, but his team couldn’t stop Williamson, who went full-speed ahead to the cup for a three-point play and a 117-115 Pelicans lead with 35.5 seconds to play. Edwards missed twice at the other end and Bey iced it at the free-throw line.

“We had no pace in the game, really,” Finch said of his team’s offense in the second half. “Some of the guys who have been making shots at a high level didn’t make shots. Everything kind of bogged down. Kind of an iso game, we didn’t really get a flow where we really created a lot of open looks for each other.”

Even with Dosunmu in the mix, Hyland keeps solidifying his place in the rotation, having scored 20 points in each of the past two games. With Mike Conley expected back and Dosunmu now with the Wolves, there will be competition for minutes for Hyland that hasn’t been there the past few games.

BOXSCORE: New Orleans 119, Wolves 115

NBA standings

Finch went 10 deep in the first half, with Johnny Juzang being the 10th player to get minutes. He provided one of the biggest sparks in an otherwise ho-hum first half for the Wolves on defense.

He chased down Murphy in transition to come up with a block. That led to a Randle layup at the other end and the biggest roar of the night from the crowd to that point.

After the play, New Orleans called timeout while Edwards and Hyland mobbed Juzang. The Wolves were up 55-49 when Juzang’s blocked Murphy. They finished the half on a 15-7 run to go up 70-56 at the break.