NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The New Orleans Pelicans lost to the Minnesota Timberwolves 125-116 Thursday night, falling apart in the fourth quarter after leading through three periods.
The Pelicans had worked specifically on late-game decision-making in Wednesday’s practice following Tuesday night’s loss to Minnesota. That preparation was put to the test in the rematch.
New Orleans got off to a strong start with Derik Queen driving to the rim for a dunk. The game was tied 62-62 at halftime.
Pelicans build lead through three quarters
Queen showed his court vision in the third quarter, connecting with Saddiq Bey for an alley-oop that put the Pelicans ahead 79-74.
Jordan Hawkins added to the aggressive play, throwing an alley-oop to Karlo Matkovic for an acrobatic slam. The Pelicans led 90-88 after three quarters.
Fourth-quarter collapse costs New Orleans
The fourth quarter proved costly for New Orleans. Minnesota opened the final period with a 13-1 run, fueled by former LSU player Naz Reid, who hit a three-pointer and later added a dunk. Reid finished with 19 points off the bench.
“So a couple turnovers. Then we got a little stagnant against the zone. We slowed our pace down early in that 4th. We missed some layups. We missed some bunnies. They got aggressive in transition. That was the game,” Pelicans coach James Borrego said. “So we got to do a better job getting off to better starts defensively. And that’s really the key for us.”
Borrego said the team’s offensive challenge is sustaining their play through the final quarters.
“I feel our guys moving it. I think our challenge now as a team offensively is can we sustain it through that third or fourth quarter? I feel like we’re doing in thirds. Now we got to trust it even in fourth quarters, continue to keep that pace up,” he said.
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