On December 12, Beijing time, the 2023-24 NBA regular season West staged a strong and weak dialogue, and the Timberwolves, who are currently ranked No. 1 in the West, challenged the New Orleans Pelicans as a guest. The Timberwolves are the biggest dark horses in the West this season, with a recent wave of 6 consecutive wins, ranking 1st in the West with a 17-4 record, and also the 1st winning percentage in the league. The Pelicans are 12-11 and ranked 10th in the West, counting them as an absolute underdog, but in the end the game broke out a big upset!
In this game, the Pelicans did not have an advantage in shooting, 10 of 27 3-pointers, while the Timberwolves were 13 of 36, the latter also had the advantage in the number of shots, 27 of 55 on 2-pointers, and the shooting rate was not low, but in the free throw line, the Pelicans can be described as a complete victory!The Pelicans made 31 of 40 free throws in the game, while the Timberwolves only made 14 of 19 free throws, a 17-point deficit in that alone. The Pelicans' frequent attacks on the interior also put the Timberwolves in a foul predicament, with a total of 28 fouls on the team, Towns 6 fouls on the court, and Gobert and Walker also 4 fouls, which greatly limited the play. In the end, the Pelicans defeated the Timberwolves 121-107 and broke out a big upset.
Game review: In the first quarter of the game, the two teams actually played equally, the outside line of both teams was not allowed, the Timberwolves were 2 of 8, the Pelicans were 2 of 6, and the inside line was also half a catty, and the first quarter was tied at 29;
But in the second quarter, the Pelicans began to exert their strength, hitting 4 3-pointers from the outside, and also increased the impact on the inside, the Pelicans scored 30 points in this quarter, quickly widening the difference, while the Timberwolves only scored 23 points, and the Pelicans led by 7 points at 59-52 at halftime;
In the third quarter, the Timberwolves began to warm up, hitting 5 3-pointers from the outside, while the Pelicans only made 1 of 3, but the Pelicans focused on the impact of the inside, and Zion made a big splash in this quarter, shooting 4 of 5, all under the basket!He made 3 layups, made 7 free throws, and scored 14 points in a single quarter!At the end of the third quarter, the Pelicans led by four points at 90-86;
In the 4th quarter, the Timberwolves suddenly lost power, and the Pelicans continued to insist on hitting the inside, the Timberwolves only had 3 of 10 outside in this quarter, and the inside line frequently hit iron, and Towns was sent off for 3 fouls in this quarter, which increased the Pelicans' confidence in hitting the inside. Ingram scored eight points from seven free throws in the quarter, and Zion scored seven points on 3-of-3 shooting in the quarter.
In this game, Zion scored 36 points, 5 rebounds and 2 assists in 13 of 17, Yingge scored 20 points, 3 rebounds and 5 assists, CJ 23 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists, Jones 7 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists, Varland 14 points, 13 rebounds and 4 assists, Murphy 10 points, 3 rebounds and 1 assist, Daniels 6 points, 2 rebounds and 2 assists;
On the Timberwolves side, Towns had 17 points, 12 rebounds and 1 assist, Conley had 17 points, 5 rebounds and 7 assists, McDaniels had 12 points and 3 boards, Reed had 17 points, 6 rebounds and 2 assists, Milton had 12 points, 1 rebound and 5 assists, and Lee Kyle had 6 rebounds, 4 rebounds and 3 assists. Sports Premiere Creation Challenge