The Minnesota Timberwolves ended the season in style by picking up a 132-126 win over the New Orleans Pelicans in a high-scoring contest. The Pelicans, who don’t own their pick and don’t have to tank, put up a fight led by rookie duo Jeremiah Fears (36 PTS, 10 REB, 6 AST) and Derik Queen (30 PTS, 22 REB) with a tight seven-man rotation.
This wasn’t a problem for the Timberwolves, who matched their scoring with a team-wide effort despite being without most of their core rotational players, including Anthony Edwards and Julius Randle.
This loss ties the Pelicans for the eighth-worst record in the NBA alongside the Dallas Mavericks, while the Timberwolves officially end the regular season with a 49-33 record and the sixth seed in the West.
Let’s analyze how the Timberwolves rotation performed in the final game of the season before they start preparing for their first-round clash against the Denver Nuggets.
Joan Beringer: A
Game Stats: 24 PTS, 13 REB, 2 AST, 7 BLK, 9-12 FG, 6-9 FT, 31 MIN
The Timberwolves’ 2025 first-round pick, Joan Beringer, finally showed all his critics why the Timberwolves went out of their way to draft a project big man when they could use the pick to fill other win-now needs. Beringer is a very high-potential center who the team hopes will replace his fellow Frenchman, Rudy Gobert, at center in a few seasons. His performance tonight showed exactly why he’s the right man to be Gobert’s long-term successor in Minnesota.
Queen might have stuffed the box score, but he was woefully inefficient as Beringer made sure he controlled the paint at all times. He was swatting shots like we’ve seen Gobert do in his prime, while maintaining that level of offensive efficiency when scoring opportunities presented themselves. It’s very optimistic to say Beringer could be a Playoff contributor behind Gobert and Naz Reid, but this was the kind of performance they’ll hold on to as they develop him further in the coming seasons.
He’s averaged 3.9 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 0.7 blocks over his rookie season.
Joe Ingles: B+
Game Stats: 15 PTS, 6 REB, 10 AST, 1 STL, 1 BLK, 3 TOV, 6-10 FG, 3-6 3PT, 32 MIN
The 38-year-old veteran Joe Ingles had a monster game (by his standards) against the Pelicans tonight. The absence of playmakers on the roster prompted Ingles to take on that role, dishing out 10 assists over the course of the game. He was also ultra-efficient on the ball, making the right reads and taking shots only when necessary. It was a great veteran performance, as he facilitated a successful night for the shorthanded and inexperienced Timberwolves against an inexperienced and shorthanded Pelicans squad.
Ingles had some of the worst impact metrics this season due to his limited participation over the season. He’s mostly a locker room veteran, but this performance highlighted that he was on an NBA team for a reason. It’s unlikely the team gives him real minutes in the Playoffs, but this was a nice way to end this season, and potentially his NBA career.
Terrence Shannon Jr.: B+
Game Stats: 26 PTS, 4 REB, 5 AST, 1 STL, 3 TOV, 6-18 FG, 0-7 3PT, 14-18 FT, 35 MIN
It’s hard to rate the performance Terrence Shannon Jr. had in this game. He’s averaging 5.6 points over the season and 27.3 points in the last three games, taking a huge offensive jump in Anthony Edwards’ absence from the rotation. He led the Timberwolves in scoring tonight, but he was probably one of their most inefficient players on offense. Shannon went scoreless from three and only made six field goals on 18 attempts, with most of his scoring coming from the free-throw line.
Shannon played with relentless pace and a high defensive motor, so his inefficient scoring can be forgiven given his positive impact on the court overall. Even his repeated free-throw attempts showed his ability to attack downhill and draw contact, which everyone knows is a useful NBA skill. It remains to be seen if Shannon will get a chance in the Wolves Playoff rotation, but this game did show he could be a useful contributor, especially if Edwards recovers slowly.
Zyon Pullin: B
Game Stats: 19 PTS, 3 REB, 5 AST, 8-12 FG, 1-3 3PT, 2-2 FT, 31 MIN
Zyon Pullin made the most of the biggest opportunity he’s gotten in the NBA, as the two-way player had an efficient offensive game and made himself indispensable to the Wolves tonight. The backup guard went on a run in the second quarter, which saw him put up eight points without missing a shot, prompting more minutes for the rest of the game. He ran the Timberwolves offense in the fourth quarter and contributed five points as the Wolves had to dig deep to seal this win.
Pullin has averaged 2.9 points in eight NBA games over his two-year career, so this performance might change the landscape of his career if it can lead to a longer-term stay with the Wolves or a new home in the summer. Two-way players can’t play in the Playoffs, so we likely won’t see Pullin again for the Timberwolves this season.
Enrique Freeman: B
Game Stats: 13 PTS, 7 REB, 2 AST, 2 STL, 2 BLK, 2 TOV, 4-8 FG, 2-4 3PT, 3-4 FT, 26 MIN
Enrique Freeman had an all-around performance in this clash, making sure his presence was felt across the floor. He was very productive in the second and third quarters, totalling a +14 for those quarters as he impacted the game on both ends of the court. He led the team in plus/minus with a +25 on the night.
Julian Phillips: B
Game Stats: 16 PTS, 1 REB, 1 AST, 1 STL, 1 TOV, 6-12 FG, 1-5 3PT, 3-6 FT, 26 MIN
Julian Phillips was a midseason addition and was a useful presence for the Timberwolves on the floor. While he had a poor shooting night and didn’t get much run in crunch time, he made the most of his 26 minutes with a strong offensive performance.
Rocco Zikarsky: B
Game Stats: 8 PTS, 9 REB, 2 AST, 2 BLK, 1 TOV, 2-3 FG, 4-4 FT, 20 MIN
Rocco Zikarsky played impactful center minutes for the Timberwolves in this game. He was an imposing defensive presence, attacking the glass and protecting the rim aggressively. He was a +7 in his minutes and showed flashes of why he’s a high-potential prospect.
Jaylen Clark: C
Game Stats: 8 PTS, 3 REB, 2 AST, 1 BLK, 1 TOV, 3-9 FG, 2-7 3PT, 30 MIN
The Timberwolves relied heavily on Jaylen Clark as an off-ball presence who tried playing within the team’s systems without taking too much individual attention. It wasn’t the most impactful game either, with Clark ending the game as a -15.
Donte DiVincenzo: C
Game Stats: 3 PTS, 1 REB, 3 AST, 1 STL, 1-5 FG, 1-3 3PT, 8 MIN
DiVincenzo played just eight minutes in this game, likely to reach 82 games played in the season. He had limited impact before subbing out and not appearing again in this clash.
