Wolves suffocate Hornets from start to finish in blowout win

Ahead of Monday night's game against the Charlotte Hornets, Timberwolves coach Chris Finch said he hadn't felt his team played with its typical defensive competitiveness in the early going, something that he said needed to change.

The Wolves showed that competitive fire defensively, and they weren't too bad offensively, either, in a 114-93 blowout over the Hornets in a game they were in control from start to finish Monday night at Target Center in Minneapolis.

The Hornets (2-5) never led after the first quarter. Tied 24-24 entering the second quarter, the Timberwolves lineup of Mike Conley, Donte DiVincenzo, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Naz Reid and Rudy Gobert opened the second on a 13-2 run.

The Wolves (4-3) never looked back.

They took a 12-point lead at the half, and that ballooned to 20 by the end of the third quarter. The same lineup that broke open the game in the second quarter with the 13-2 run opened the fourth quarter on an 8-0 run and paved the way for the Wolves to play their young guys. Rob Dillingham, in particular, got a huge ovation from the crowd when he checked in.

The Wolves held the Hornets to just 40% shooting from the field and 24% from 3-point range. Charlotte turned it over 14 times, and star guard LaMelo Ball finished with just 19 points on 6-for-15 shooting, two assists and two boards.

Red was a spark plug off the bench for the Wolves, scoring a game-high 25 points and grabbing nine boards. He shot 9 for 13 from the field, including 5 of 7 from 3. Anthony Edwards finished with 21 points and five rebounds. DiVincenzo had a strong game on both ends off the bench, finishing with 14 points, five boards, three and a pair of steals.

The Timberwolves utilized just an eight-man rotation until they checked in all the young guys in garbage time. Dillingham got some time to shine and finished with four points and two assists in nine minutes.

The Wolves return to action on Thursday when they visit the Chicago Bulls for a 7 p.m. tipoff.