Timberwolves beat Magic 104-89 for 3rd straight victory

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Julius Randle had 23 points and 10 rebounds, Anthony Edwards added 21 points and seven assists and the Minnesota Timberwolves beat the Orlando Magic 104-89 on Thursday night for their third straight victory.

Naz Reid came off the bench to score 16 points, and Rudy Gobert added 10 points and 12 rebounds for Minnesota.

Goga Bitadze led Orlando with 15 points and eight rebounds. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope added 13 points.

Takeaways

Timberwolves: Minnesota led from the middle of the first quarter and by 24 at one point. They broke a seven-game losing streak against Eastern Conference opponents.

Timberwolves beat Magic 104-89 for 3rd straight victory | iNFOnews.ca — Minnesota Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch, left, gives instructions to forward Julius Randle (30) during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Orlando Magic, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)

Magic: The lack of scoring punch continues to be a problem for the Magic, which shot 38% and is now the lowest-scoring team in the NBA at 104.8 points per game. It may have been the last of 34 games without Paolo Banchero. The 22-year-old power forward, out since October with a torn right oblique, is expected to return Friday night.

Key moment

Edwards launched himself over the Magic’s Anthony Black for a dunk, then came down with a glare at the crowd to give the Wolves a 10-point lead with 3:19 left in the third quarter. They led by double figures for the rest of the game.

Key stat

In the middle of the fourth quarter the Timberwolves were 12 for 28 (43%) from 3-point range while the Magic were 6 for 30 (20%).