Naz Reid took a shot at the New Orleans Pelicans following the Minnesota Timberwolves' 125-116 win on Thursday night.
Reid is going through the seventh season of his NBA career, all with the Timberwolves. His growth in the rotation has been amazing, standing out as one of the best sixth men in the league.
In 33 minutes of action, Reid finished with a stat line of 19 points, seven rebounds, six assists, two blocks, and a steal. He shot 6-of-13 from the field, including 4-of-9 from beyond the arc, and 3-of-3 from the free-throw line.
Reid reflected on the win after the game, per reporter Chris Hine. He admitted that Minnesota did not perform at its best, especially against New Orleans.
“We're not the best version of ourselves right now, and that's OK. … We still got the last four wins. I think sometimes we kind of, no disrespect to the Pelicans, I think sometimes we can't play down our competition. That's what kind of hurts us sometimes,” Reid said.
How Naz Reid, Timberwolves played against Pelicans
Naz Reid is right to see that the Timberwolves haven't been perfect in their recent stretch of games. Despite this, they remain on the win column after beating the Pelicans.
The game was close throughout the first three quarters of regulation, seeing Minnesota down by two going into the fourth. However, the Timberwolves came to life in the last 12 minutes of the game, outscoring New Orleans 37-26 in that frame.
Perimeter shooting and blocking made the difference in this matchup. The Timberwolves prevailed in both categories by making 15 3-pointers and blocking 10 shots. It wasn't the same for the Pelicans as they only converted seven triples and rejected three shots.
Seven players scored in double-digits for Minnesota in the win, including Reid. Julius Randle led the way with 28 points, nine rebounds and three assists. He shot 9-of-18 overall, including 2-of-3 from downtown, and 8-of-8 from the charity stripe. Rudy Gobert came next with 15 points and 12 rebounds, Donte DiVincenzo had 15 points and four rebounds, while Jaden McDaniels put up 14 points and seven rebounds. Meanwhile, Jaylen Clark provided 12 points and Anthony Edwards contributed with 11 points and six rebounds.
Minnesota improved to a 14-8 record on the season, holding the sixth spot in the Western Conference standings. They are one game above the Phoenix Suns and 3.5 games above the Golden State Warriors while trailing the Denver Nuggets, San Antonio Spurs and Houston Rockets by 1.5 games.
The Timberwolves will look forward to their next matchup, being at home. They host the Los Angeles Clippers on Dec. 6 at 8 p.m. ET.
