Minnesota heads into Tuesday night’s matchup at Smoothie King Center with one of the shortest injury reports in the league.
The Timberwolves list Enrique Freeman as available with a face injury, and he will play with a protective mask. Rocco Zikarsky remains out on a G League assignment under his two-way contract.
New Orleans continues to operate with a lengthy list of absences as it tries to stop a three-game losing streak. Trey Alexander and Hunter Dickinson are unavailable due to G League assignments on two-way deals.
Herbert Jones is out with a right calf strain, removing one of the Pelicans’ top perimeter defenders from the rotation. Karlo Matkovic is also sidelined by a right calf strain, limiting frontcourt depth behind Derik Queen and Yves Missi.
Jordan Poole remains out with a left quad strain after averaging 17.3 points across seven appearances. Dejounte Murray is still sidelined following a right Achilles rupture that has kept him off the floor all season.
Jordan Hawkins is questionable with illness after averaging 5.1 points in 15.2 minutes per game. Trey Murphy III is questionable with a right elbow strain, and his status is significant because he leads the roster at 19.7 points per game while shooting .371 from three.
New Orleans enters the game at 3–18 and is coming off losses to the Lakers and Warriors on the West Coast.
Zion Williamson leads the Pelicans at 22.1 points and 5.6 rebounds per game while shooting .510 from the field. Saddiq Bey continues to produce at 13.3 points and 6.0 rebounds per game and remains one of the Pelicans’ most consistent pieces.
Minnesota arrives with a 12–8 record and two straight wins over the Spurs and Celtics. Anthony Edwards continues to anchor the offense with 28.9 points per game while shooting .491 from the field and .409 from deep.
Julius Randle adds 23.0 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 6.0 assists per game while shooting .502 overall. Rudy Gobert controls the paint with 10.1 rebounds per game and a .725 field-goal percentage, giving Minnesota a clear interior advantage.
Jaden McDaniels provides additional scoring at 15.5 points per game on .521 shooting and contributes defensively with 1.0 block per contest.
Tipoff is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. ET in New Orleans, marking the first meeting between the two clubs this season.
