Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert works past Orlando Magic center Goga Bitadze at Target Center in Minneapolis on March 14, 2025. / Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images
Minnesota Timberwolves coach Chris Finch acknowledged pregame that the Orlando Magic’s physicality has given the Wolves fits at times in previous matchups. They’re a good defensive team that can turn you over and turn it into points.
That proved to be the case Friday night as the Wolves turned it over 16 times and struggled to match up against Paolo Banchero’s physicality on the defensive end. But Minnesota was able to rally from a double-digit deficit behind a strong fourth-quarter start in a 118-111 win over the Magic at Target Center in Minneapolis, the Wolves’ seventh straight win.
The Magic (31-37) closed the third quarter on a 17-3 run to take a nine-point lead into the final frame. But the Wolves (39-29) got off to a quick start to the fourth quarter, getting a couple layups from Donte DiVincenzo, including a floater that gave Minnesota a 95-90 lead. It appeared as though the Wolves would pull away from the Magic from there, but behind a battling effort from Banchero, Orlando knotted it back up at 98-98 and make it anyone’s game in the final minutes.
Anthony Edwards answered with a 3-pointer, then got to the rim for a layup and a five-point lead. Edwards, who scored a team-high 28 points, wanted to hit a dagger from Mars for the win, but it bounced off the rim. Julius Randle, however, was there to clean it up on a putback dunk for a 105-98 lead. After a Magic timeout, Jaden McDaniels broke free for a slam in transition. Randle finished with 22 points, seven rebounds and five assists. McDaniels had 11 points and eight rebounds.
Banchero was the biggest problem for the Wolves most of the night, continually getting to the rim and finding his shot. He finished with a game-high 43 points, 10 rebounds and three assists. Minnesota also frequently lost Caleb Houston along the 3-point arc as Houstan knocked down 6 of his 8 shots from deep on his way to 18 points off the bench. The Magic scored 20 points off the 16 Wolves turnovers. Nevertheless, Minnesota was able to find a way to pull out the victory.
DiVincenzo finished with 14 points, five assists and three rebounds, and Nickeil Alexander-Walker added 12 points and three rebounds to lead a strong effort from the Wolves’ bench. Rudy Gobert put up 12 points and 12 boards.
The Wolves return to action Sunday night when they host the Utah Jazz for a 6 p.m. tipoff.
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