Minnesota Timberwolves at New Orleans Pelicans
Matchup preview
Last season: too early in this one to read much from it
Matchup odds
No moneylines yet.
Who wins?
Season leaders, per game
NOP
MIN28.8PointsNOP21.5
MIN11.5ReboundsNOP7.1
MIN7.1AssistsNOP3.8
MIN1.4StealsNOP1.6
MIN1.6BlocksNOP1.5
| MIN | Stat | NOP |
|---|---|---|
| 49–33 | Record | 26–56 |
| Offense | ||
| 3.3(better), 10th in the league | Net rating | 21st in the league, -4.4 |
| 114.6(better), 12th in the league | Offensive rating | 20th in the league, 112.1 |
| 102.5, 10th in the league | Pace | 11th in the league, 102.4 |
| 55.9(better), 7th in the league | eFG% | 28th in the league, 52.7 |
| 12.4, 18th in the league | TOV% | 10th in the league, 11.7(better) |
| 25.7, 15th in the league | OREB% | 8th in the league, 27.0(better) |
| 0.285(better), 7th in the league | FT rate | 8th in the league, 0.284 |
| Defense | ||
| 111.3(better), 8th in the league | Defensive rating | 24th in the league, 116.5 |
| 52.9(better), 5th in the league | Opp. eFG% | 23rd in the league, 55.5 |
| 12.4(better), 15th in the league | Opp. TOV% | 20th in the league, 11.8 |
| 73.7(better), 20th in the league | DREB% | 28th in the league, 71.4 |
| 0.282, 25th in the league | Opp. FT rate | 13th in the league, 0.258(better) |
This season's meetings
They have not met this season.
Injury report
Minnesota Timberwolves
- Donte DiVincenzoOut· back Apr 1Cost -3.6 per 100
Report note
DiVincenzo will have his surgery done by Dr. Martin O'Malley, the same surgeon who repaired the torn right Achilles of Jayson Tatum in May of 2025. The fact that the procedure is taking place within 24 hours of DiVincenzo's injury should help with the recovery, though it would be unfair to expect the veteran guard to return as quickly as Tatum did, which took approximately 10 months for the latter. It seems more likely that DiVincenzo will miss the entire 2026-27 season, though if he does progress enough to return, it wouldn't be until late in the regular season. The Timberwolves will also be without Anthony Edwards (knee) for multiple weeks, so the team will turn to Ayo Dosunmu, Mike Conley and Bones Hyland to carry more of the load for the rest of the postseason.
New Orleans Pelicans
- Bryce McGowensProbable· back Oct 1Cost -0.8 per 100
Report note
McGowens will miss the final game of the 2025-26 season, though to be fair, he hasn't played for the Pelicans since March 8 due to a fractured toe. He appeared in 42 games for New Orleans and made 13 starts, averaging 8.1 points, 2.1 rebounds and 1.5 assists across 21.0 minutes per game.
| Player | MIN | PTS | REB | AST | Last 5 | Impact |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 35.0 | 28.8 | 5.0 | 3.7 | 21.6 / 4.0 / 4.0 | 2.5 | |
| 31.7 | 14.8 | 4.2 | 2.7 | 18.8 / 4.6 / 2.0 | 1.2 | |
| 31.3 | 10.9 | 11.5 | 1.7 | 8.4 / 11.0 / 1.6 | 1.7 | |
| 30.5 | 12.2 | 4.1 | 3.8 | 10.0 / 2.4 / 2.8 | 3.5 | |
| 28.0 | 20.1 | 4.8 | 7.1 | 27.0 / 5.2 / 7.4 | 3.7 |
| Player | MIN | PTS | REB | AST | Last 5 | Impact |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trey Murphy III | 35.4 | 21.5 | 5.7 | 3.8 | 17.0 / 5.8 / 2.0 | 1.3 |
| 31.3 | 17.7 | 5.6 | 2.5 | 20.8 / 4.6 / 1.6 | 1.0 | |
| 30.0 | 17.6 | 5.4 | 2.4 | 8.8 / 4.6 / 3.8 | -1.2 | |
| 29.7 | 21.0 | 5.7 | 3.2 | 17.0 / 5.0 / 3.0 | 0.7 | |
| 28.4 | 8.9 | 3.4 | 2.8 | 5.8 / 2.6 / 1.8 | 1.5 |
Last five games
| Date | Opponent | Result | Spread | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 15 | Lost 109–139 | – | – | |
| May 12 | Lost 97–126 | – | – | |
| May 10 | Won 114–109 | – | – | |
| May 8 | Lost 108–115 | – | – | |
| May 6 | Lost 95–133 | – | – |
| Date | Opponent | Result | Spread | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 12 | Lost 126–132 | – | – | |
| Apr 10 | Lost 118–144 | – | – | |
| Apr 7 | Won 156–137 | – | – | |
| Apr 5 | Lost 108–112 | – | – | |
| Apr 3 | Lost 113–117 | – | – |
Standings
Full standingsMatchups by position
What each defense allows per game to guards, forwards and centers, against the league average. Rank 1 allows the most.
| Player | PTS | REB | AST |
|---|---|---|---|
| Guards | 51.2 (lg 49.8) , 9th in the league | 13.0 (lg 13.6) , 23rd in the league | 14.3 (lg 14.2) , 14th in the league |
| Forwards | 36.3 (lg 37.4) , 19th in the league | 15.6 (lg 15.3) , 11th in the league | 7.7 (lg 7.0) , 4th in the league |
| Centers | 12.3 (lg 10.7) , 5th in the league | 8.7 (lg 7.5) , 2nd in the league | 2.0 (lg 1.9) , 9th in the league |
| Player | PTS | REB | AST |
|---|---|---|---|
| Guards | 51.2 (lg 49.8) , 10th in the league | 14.0 (lg 13.6) , 9th in the league | 14.5 (lg 14.2) , 11th in the league |
| Forwards | 36.2 (lg 37.4) , 20th in the league | 15.2 (lg 15.3) , 15th in the league | 6.3 (lg 7.0) , 27th in the league |
| Centers | 11.3 (lg 10.7) , 11th in the league | 7.8 (lg 7.5) , 10th in the league | 2.5 (lg 1.9) , 2nd in the league |
The box score appears at tip-off.