New Orleans Pelicans at Minnesota Timberwolves
· National Basketball AssociationTimberwolves welcome back Garnett and beat Pelicans in regular-season finale as playoffs await
With the Timberwolves locked into the No. 6 seed in the Western Conference and the Pelicans long ago eliminated, the main attraction was Garnett's first visit to Target Center in eight years.
The Hall of Fame forward and all-time franchise leader in nearly every major statistical category walked into the arena with Timberwolves co-owners Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez after player introductions, receiving a roar from the crowd and patting his heart with his hand. After giving current star Anthony Edwards a bear hug, Garnett took his courtside seat.
Garnett, who had a falling out with previous owner Glen Taylor after his career was over, reached an agreement last year with the team to serve as an ambassador. His No. 21 jersey will be retired at a later date.
The Timberwolves (49-33) sat nine of their top 10 players, giving fan favorite Joe Ingles a token start in a 15-point, 10-assist performance. Rookie forward Joan Beringer had 24 points, 12 rebounds and seven blocks.
Jeremiah Fears had 36 points and 10 rebounds, and Derik Queen added 30 points with a career-high 22 rebounds for the Pelicans (27-55), who got productive rookie years from their two first-round draft picks amid another injury-affected season. Fears played 82 games, and Queen played 81.
The Timberwolves will play the No. 3 seed Nuggets in a first-round playoff series starting in Denver on Saturday.
Regular Season Series
MIN wins series 3-1
Recent Plays
| 4th 0.0 |  |
End of Game | 126 - 132 |
| 4th 0.0 | |
End of the 4th Quarter | 126 - 132 |
| 4th 7.1 |  |
Jeremiah Fears makes 1-foot reverse layup | 126 - 132 |
| 4th 16.5 |  |
Terrence Shannon Jr. makes free throw 2 of 2 | 124 - 132 |
| 4th 16.5 | |
Julian Phillips enters the game for Joe Ingles | 124 - 131 |
Statistics
 NO |
 MIN |
|
|---|---|---|
| 45-107 | FG | 45-89 |
| 42 | Field Goal % | 51 |
| 5-21 | 3PT | 10-37 |
| 24 | Three Point % | 27 |
| 31-38 | FT | 32-43 |
| 82 | Free Throw % | 74 |
| 52 | Rebounds | 47 |
| 20 | Offensive Rebounds | 12 |
| 32 | Defensive Rebounds | 35 |
| 20 | Assists | 32 |
| 9 | Steals | 5 |
| 6 | Blocks | 13 |
| 9 | Turnovers | 11 |
| 0 | Team Turnovers | 0 |
| 9 | Total Turnovers | 11 |
| 0 | Technical Fouls | 0 |
| 0 | Total Technical Fouls | 0 |
| 0 | Flagrant Fouls | 0 |
| 11 | Points Conceded Off Turnovers | 21 |
| 18 | Fast Break Points | 10 |
| 72 | Points in Paint | 68 |
| 28 | Fouls | 27 |
| 0 | Largest Lead | 16 |
| 0 | Lead Changes | 0 |
| 0 | Percent Led | 99 |
Minnesota Timberwolves Injuries
| NAME, POS | STATUS | DATE |
|---|---|---|
| Donte DiVincenzo, G | Out | Apr 26 |
New Orleans Pelicans Injuries
| NAME, POS | STATUS | DATE |
|---|---|---|
| Trey Murphy III, F | Out | Apr 11 |
| Dejounte Murray, G | Out | Apr 11 |
| Bryce McGowens, G | Out | Apr 11 |
| Yves Missi, C | Out | Apr 11 |
| Karlo Matkovic, F | Out | Apr 11 |
Game Information
Location: Minneapolis, MN
Attendance: 18,978 · Capacity:
2025-26 Southwest Standings
| TEAM | W | L | PCT | GB | STRK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 San Antonio |
62 | 20 | .756 | - | L1 |
 Houston |
52 | 30 | .634 | 10 | W1 |
 New Orleans |
26 | 56 | .317 | 36 | L2 |
 Dallas |
26 | 56 | .317 | 36 | W1 |
 Memphis |
25 | 57 | .305 | 37 | L8 |
2025-26 Northwest Standings
| TEAM | W | L | PCT | GB | STRK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Oklahoma City |
- | 18 | L2 | 0.7804878 | 64 |
 Denver |
10 | 28 | W12 | 0.6585366 | 54 |
 Minnesota |
15 | 33 | W2 | 0.597561 | 49 |
 Portland |
22 | 40 | W2 | 0.5121951 | 42 |
 Utah |
42 | 60 | L1 | 0.2682927 | 22 |
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