National Basketball Association
New Orleans 121, Minnesota 107
When: 8:00 PM ET, Monday, December 11, 2023
Where: Smoothie King Center, New Orleans, Louisiana
Officials: #79 John Conley, #3 Nick Buchert, #29 Mark Lindsay
Attendance: 16487

Zion Williamson scored a season-high 36 points, Jonas Valanciunas had a double-double and the host New Orleans Pelicans ended the Minnesota Timberwolves' six-game winning streak with a 121-107 victory on Monday night.

Williamson made 13 of 17 field-goal attempts and 10 of 12 free throws after totaling just 23 points in his past two games while Valanciunas finished with 14 points and 13 rebounds. CJ McCollum added 23 points, Brandon Ingram scored 20 and Trey Murphy III had 10.

Karl-Anthony Towns had 17 points and 12 rebounds before fouling out, Mike Conley and Naz Reid each scored 17 points and Jaden McDaniels and Shake Milton added 12 points apiece for the Timberwolves, who had won nine of 10 games to claim the NBA's best record but played without leading scorer Anthony Edwards (hip) on Monday.

Williamson scored 12 points during the first seven minutes of the third quarter to help New Orleans extend its seven-point halftime lead to 78-63.

Reid answered with back-to-back 3-pointers before the Pelicans took a 10-point lead twice.

McDaniels made a pair of 3-pointers to help Minnesota get within 87-83. New Orleans' Naji Marshall made a 3-pointer with 2.1 seconds left, but Jordan McLaughlin beat the buzzer from midcourt, leaving the Pelicans with a 90-86 lead at the end of the third quarter.

McCollum made a 3-pointer, Herbert Jones converted a three-point play and McCollum made another 3-pointer as New Orleans expanded the lead to 13 at the start of the fourth quarter.

Conley's 3-pointer produced the Wolves' first points of the period and Towns added two free throws to get Minnesota within eight, but Williamson made a basket and Ingram added a three-point play for a 104-91 lead.

The first quarter featured 10 lead changes and eight ties, the last of which was at 29 at the end of the period.

The score was tied five more times in the second quarter before McDaniels' field goal gave the Wolves a 49-47 lead.

Ingram answered with a 3-pointer and added another field goal and a 3-pointer at the buzzer to complete a 12-3 run and give the Pelicans a 59-52 halftime lead.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
 
Minnesota   New Orleans
Mike Conley 17 Scoring Zion Williamson 36
Mike Conley 7 Assists Brandon Ingram 5
Karl-Anthony Towns 12 Rebounds Jonas Valanciunas 13
Karl-Anthony Towns 6 Free Throws Made Zion Williamson 10
Kyle Anderson 2 Steals Dyson Daniels 2
Rudy Gobert 2 Blocks Jonas Valanciunas 2
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Minnesota 107 44.0 13-36 14-19 26 47 3 5 14
New Orleans 121 48.8 10-27 31-40 27 47 7 7 14
Upcoming Games
  • New Orleans will play their next game on the road against Washington. The Pelicans have a W/L % of .538 after a win and .545 after a loss.
  • Minnesota will play their next game on the road against Dallas. The Timberwolves have a W/L % of .722 after a win and 1.000 after a loss.