MINNEAPOLIS — The last two seasons, the Timberwolves have been a playoff team while the Hornets have been among the worst in the league. But in those two years, the Hornets came into Target Center and dealt the Wolves two of their worst losses in each of those respective seasons.

The Wolves made sure that didn’t happen this time around with a 114-93 victory over Charlotte on Monday. Naz Reid and Donte DiVincenzo flipped the game with their first extended stints of the first half and the Wolves didn’t look back. Reid led the team with 25 points as he feasted against a smaller Charlotte lineup that featured Grant Williams playing the five at times. DiVincenzo facilitated the offense in the first half and finished with 12 points. LaMelo Ball had 19 for the Hornets, who had 24 fast-break points. But the Wolves’ transition defense wasn’t a problem.

How it happened

The Wolves started slow as Charlotte opened up a 15-8 lead, but the Wolves’ shotmaking got them back in it, as Anthony Edwards (21 points) hit his first three 3s of the night. Jaden McDaniels, who coach Chris Finch said had to play better defense, was a minus-7 and 0 for 3 before picking up two fouls six minutes into the game.

“It’s not been good. He’s got to be way better,” Finch said pregame. “Just looking at some of the numbers today, defensively, all the way around, we don’t have that competitiveness to the level that’s we’ve shown or normally had. It’s not just Jaden, but he’s got to go back to the level of All-Defensive team that he can play. That’s important for us in our success.”

Finch went into his bench for extended minutes, without a rest, for DiVincenzo and Reid. Reid played 14:44 without a substitution in the first half and put up 11 points and six rebounds. DiVincenzo, who played 15:48 without a sub, had five points and three assists. They spurred a 12-2 Wolves run that drew a standing ovation from the Target Center crowd. The Wolves maintained a double-digit lead the rest of the first half. Edwards finished with 16 first-half points as the Wolves led 57-45 at the break. The Hornets shot just 4 for 18 from 3-point range in the first half compared to the Wolves’ 10 for 23.

The Wolves tried to get McDaniels going in the third quarter, and he hit three of his first four shots for nine points. DiVincenzo had been doing everything else in the game but hitting shots to that point, but he drilled both of his 3-point attempts in the third quarter, including a stepback from the left corner over Williams to give the Wolves a 91-71 lead headed into the fourth.

Player of the game

Reid punished the smaller Hornets inside and out on his was to a big night off the bench.

Stat of the game

6. Three-point attempts for Edwards, his lowest of the season. He hit four.

8-ball

Finch didn’t extend his rotation to nine guys after it had appeared Josh Minott earned minutes in that slot over Joe Ingles on Saturday against Charlotte.

Up next

At Chicago on Thursday. The Wolves head to Chicago to face one of the few teams that beat them multiple times last season.

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