No Edwards, No Problem: LaMelo Ball Runs the Timberwolves Past the Clippers 127–101

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2026 — TARGET CENTER, MINNEAPOLIS

The question hanging over Minnesota’s NBA Cup opener was simple: what do the Timberwolves look like with no Anthony Edwards? Friday night’s answer was the least complicated one available — they look balanced, they look deep, and against the LA Clippers they looked comfortable from the first quarter on.

Minnesota beat the Clippers 127–101 at Target Center, winning every quarter on the way to a 26-point rout. The Timberwolves led 34–24 after one, 69–56 at halftime, and never let the game tighten back up, closing with a 29–20 fourth quarter. It was, per the Associated Press recap carried in ESPN’s game summary, Minnesota’s first win without Edwards — and it did not read like a team surviving an absence. It read like a team sharing a job.

Ball sets the table

LaMelo Ball — Minnesota’s designated face while Edwards is out — ran the night. He finished with a season-high 24 points, four rebounds and seven assists, hitting six 3-pointers. The six threes stretched a Clippers defense that never found a coverage it could stay in: chase Ball over the top and the ball moved; go under and he took the shot the coverage conceded.

Jaden McDaniels was the most efficient Wolf on the floor: 23 points on 11-of-15 shooting, with six rebounds and seven assists of his own. When the Clippers loaded toward Ball, McDaniels punished the second side, and his +22 was the best mark among Minnesota’s starters.

The bench kept the pressure on

Bones Hyland gave Minnesota 19 points and a team-high eight assists off the bench, and the second unit held the margin instead of babysitting it. Ayo Dosunmu added 15 points and seven rebounds, Terrence Shannon Jr. scored 11, and Rudy Gobert anchored the middle with 13 rebounds and four assists in 30 minutes. Six Timberwolves scored in double figures’ neighbourhood — Ball, McDaniels, Hyland, Dosunmu, Shannon and Trey Lyles (10) — a spread that is the real story of a night with no Edwards: there was no single replacement, and Minnesota did not need one.

The Clippers never made it a game

Darius Garland led Los Angeles with 24 points and five assists, but he was −19 and turned it over five times against Minnesota’s length. Brook Lopez scored 13, Rui Hachimura and Keaton Wagler 12 each, and no Clipper besides Garland reached 14. Los Angeles (1–4) lost every quarter and trailed by double digits from the first period on; its best stretch, a 32-point second quarter, still lost the quarter because Minnesota scored 35 in it.

Previously Staff’s read: A Cup opener is a small sample with an outsized bracket effect: group-play point differential matters in December, and +26 is a strong first deposit. More than that, Minnesota (4–2) now has a verified answer to the Edwards question — not a hope, a box score. Ball as the headliner, McDaniels as the second scorer, Hyland running the bench: that rotation just produced 127 points against an NBA defense. The Wolves will need Edwards back for the nights that decide seeding. Friday was proof they do not have to hold their breath until he returns.

Elsewhere Tonight

• Charlotte Hornets 79 at Washington Wizards 95 — Anthony Davis 25 PTS / 13 REB for Washington; Brandon Miller 19 for Charlotte.
• Chicago Bulls 111 at Boston Celtics 125 — Payton Pritchard 30 for Boston; Caleb Wilson 23 for Chicago.
• Detroit Pistons 110 at Brooklyn Nets 94 — Cade Cunningham 20 for Detroit; Moritz Wagner 16 for winless Brooklyn (0–5).
• New York Knicks 93 at Philadelphia 76ers 98 — Tyrese Maxey 27 for Philadelphia; Jalen Brunson 24 for New York.
• Orlando Magic 121 at Toronto Raptors 114 — Scottie Barnes scored 41 in a losing effort for Toronto; Desmond Bane 28 for Orlando.
• Indiana Pacers 125 at Miami Heat 145 — Giannis Antetokounmpo 31 PTS / 18 REB / 10 AST, a triple-double for Miami; Quenton Jackson 24 for Indiana.
• Houston Rockets 111 at Dallas Mavericks 116 — Kyrie Irving 35 PTS / 9 AST for Dallas; Kevin Durant 28 for Houston.
• Los Angeles Lakers 95 at Golden State Warriors 112 — Curry 31, Dončić 37 — covered in full in tonight’s Lakers–Warriors wrap.
• Denver Nuggets 127 at Phoenix Suns 120 — Jamal Murray 39 for Denver; Miles Bridges 24 PTS / 10 REB for Phoenix.

Full box score, linescore and play-by-play: LA Clippers at Minnesota Timberwolves — Game Center. More: NBA hub · NBA Cup hub · Stats Hub