Halfway through the first quarter, the Pelicans had a 20-6 lead over the Timberwolves. Zion Williamson had nine points on 4-4 shooting and the Timberwolves looked disengaged. It felt like New Orleans was on their way to an easy victory, something that would be especially useful on the first night of a back-to-back.
The script couldn’t have changed more abruptly and turned out any more differently.
After building a 26-10 lead with 4:03 left in the first frame, the Timberwolves proceeded to dismantle the Pelicans, going on a 125-79 run the rest of the game to win going away easily.