ORLANDO, Fla. — The question for the Timberwolves on Wednesday wasn't if they were going to relinquish most of a large lead, but rather how much of it would they lose and would they regroup in time?
Despite letting a 27-point lead shrink to nine in the fourth quarter, the Wolves got nearly all of it back as they eventually routed an Orlando team that was without No. 1 pick Paolo Banchero for a 126-108 victory, their second consecutive win.
Fortunately for the Wolves, they were playing an Orlando team that was as disinterested in playing defense as they were in the second half. D'Angelo Russell came through with nine of his 11 points in the fourth to seal the win.
Anthony Edwards (a season-high 35 points) got the Wolves off to a strong start with 19 first-quarter points while Karl-Anthony Towns had 13 of his 30 points in the second quarter. Rudy Gobert pitched in 16 points and eight rebounds.
Jalen Suggs had 23 points for Orlando and finished the game after a hard flagrant two foul from Taurean Prince in the third quarter. Prince was ejected after fouling Suggs, who was wearing a protective face mask, in the head on a layup attempt.
The Wolves had a crisp offensive night in shooting 52%. Efficient transition offense has been an area of focus for coach Chris Finch, and the Wolves responded with 30 fast-break points.
