Timberwolves have no answers for Pelicans' Williamson, Holiday in 120-107 loss

If you're a fan of the way the NBA game is evolving, the Timberwolves' game against New Orleans on Sunday at Target Center was kind of cutting edge.

There was not a midrange jumper made. Every basket, every point, came in the paint, at the line or behind the arc.

So why was it such a frustrating day for the announced sellout crowd of 18,978?

Because, in a 120-107 loss to New Orleans, the Pelicans did all of the above better. In an afternoon that again showed how far this iteration of the Wolves has to go on the defensive end, the Pelicans scored 66 points in the paint, 33 points from behind the arc and 21 at the line.

Oh, and they shot 48.9% overall, 60% on two-point shots.

"We need more as a group," Wolves coach Ryan Saunders said. "It's just a defensive mind-set and sticking to our defensive game plan when things go maybe not our way. With a younger group, that's a learning process."

Time after time the Wolves were beaten off the perimeter, resulting either in a score at the hoop or a kick-out for a three. That's one reason why Pelicans guard Jrue Holiday scored 37 points on 13-for-20 shooting with nine rebounds and eight assists. Or why the backcourt of Holiday and Lonzo Ball combined for 55 points and 16 assists.

"Right now, because we're still building chemistry, we don't know if that next guy's going to be there to help us or not," said Malik Beasley, who had 21 points and nine rebounds. "So it's just a learning process. We've got to continue to grow and get better, especially on the defensive end."

Offense was a problem for the Wolves on Sunday, too.

They shot 39.4%. They got a number of in-close looks — especially early — but couldn't convert. In the end the only thing that kept the game relatively close was the 30 points the Wolves scored off 25 Pelicans turnovers.

Holiday has been a Wolves nightmare this season, having scored 82 points in three meetings. In his first NBA game in Target Center, Zion Williamson scored 23 points and Lonzo Ball added 18.

The Wolves got 19 from D'Angelo Russell, but he shot only 6-for-18 overall, including 0-for-7 on threes. James Johnson had 15 points off the bench.

Down 98-78 with 2:03 left in the third quarter, the Wolves went on a 13-2 run over the next 4:02 to pull within 11 with 10:08 remaining. Then Holiday scored seven points in a 10-2 run that put New Orleans up 110-91 midway through the fourth quarter.

The Wolves got within 10 two more times, the last time on Beasley's driving layup with 1:46 left. But they got no closer. Holiday scored in the paint, Johnson missed a three, then Williamson drove for a layup.

"We're allowing teams to get to the basket too much," Saunders said. "It's our main issue right now. I think that's containing on the perimeter, that's stopping the ball on pick-and-rolls and that's having better pursuit as a group in pick-and-rolls. But containing the slot drive too, right now, is something we have to improve upon."

In other words, the defense, period.

"It's frustrating, but it's a part of the process," Beasley said. "To be humble about it and to learn from it is where you have to grow. Not just be mad and be complacent about everything. It's all a learning process."