Strong bench play leads Timberwolves to victory over Hornets

Naz Reid came off the bench to score 25 points and grab nine rebounds, and the Minnesota Timberwolves cruised to a 114-93 win over the Charlotte Hornets on Monday night in Minneapolis.

Anthony Edwards added 21 points on 6-for-11 shooting overall and 4-for-6 shooting from beyond the arc for Minnesota. Donte DiVincenzo scored 14 points off the bench, and Julius Randle chipped in 13.

LaMelo Ball led Charlotte with 19 points on 6-for-15 shooting. Three Hornets players scored 10 points, including Brandon Miller, Miles Bridges and Tre Mann.

The Timberwolves shot 49.4 percent (39 of 79) from the field and 47.4 percent (18 of 38) from the 3-point line. The Hornets shot 39.8 percent (35 of 88) overall and 23.8 percent (10 of 42) from beyond the arc.

Minnesota pulled ahead 91-71 entering the fourth quarter. The Timberwolves outscored the Hornets 34-26 during the third quarter.

Ball made a pair of free throws to cut the deficit to 82-71 with 58.1 seconds to go in the third quarter.

Minnesota stormed to a 9-0 run in the final 58 seconds of the third quarter to seize a 20-point advantage. Reid started the scoring binge with a 3-pointer with 44.2 seconds left, and he added two free throws with 31.1 seconds to play.

DiVincenzo added a free throw to boost Minnesota's lead to 17 points with 8.1 seconds left in the third quarter. DiVincenzo capped off the frenetic minute with a 3-pointer as time expired to make it a 20-point game.

The Timberwolves kept a firm grip on the lead in the fourth quarter. They opened the final session on an 11-2 run to pull ahead 102-73 with 7:37 to go.

The Timberwolves led 57-45 at the half.

Edwards had 16 points before the break. Miller paced Charlotte with 10 points.

The score was even at 24-all at the end of the first quarter.

Minnesota posted a 33-21 advantage in the second quarter to seize a double-digit halftime lead. The Timberwolves' surge included a step-back 3-pointer by Edwards to give Minnesota a 55-40 lead with 1:30 remaining in the first half.

--Field Level Media