In a game featuring two of the
best No.1 overall picks in recent memory, the Minnesota
Timberwolves blasted the Orlando Magic, 113-92, at the Kia Center
in Orlando on Tuesday night.
Anthony Edwards, the No.1 pick
in 2020, and Paolo Banchero, the No. 1 pick in 2022, failed to get
any kind of momentum going throughout the game. Edwards only
mustered 6 points due to foul trouble, while Banchero struggled
shooting against a big Wolves frontline, finishing 8-of-22 from the
floor for 18 points.
Lucky for Edwards, his teammates
picked up the slack as the Wolves ran the Magic off the floor right
from the get-go. They led from start to finish and never let
Orlando develop a rhythm or make a run.
Karl-Anthony Towns led the
Wolves with 28 points on a perfect 5-of-5 shooting from three-point
range, while frontcourt mate Rudy Gobert was dominant in the paint,
finishing with 21 points and 12 boards. Towns also made history as
one of three active players to have 25+ points, 5+ rebounds, 5+
assists, 5+ threes and 3+ steals, joining Stephen Curry and Jalen
Brunson.
Orlando, who’s still without
Franz Wagner, Wendell Carter Jr., Joe Ingles and Jonathan Isaac
among others, only shot 36% from the floor against a stifling
Minnesota defense that is ranked No. 1 in the NBA.
After this blowout victory, the
Wolves will travel to Boston to face the Celtics tomorrow in a
battle of the top-seeded teams in each conference.
As for the Magic, they will face
their division-rival Miami Heat in their next game; they are
currently tied for the fourth seed in the Eastern
Conference.
