MINNEAPOLIS — The Timberwolves lost to a depleted Pacers team Monday, then to a depleted Pelicans team Wednesday. On Friday afternoon, their rematch against New Orleans got even easier on paper when the Pelicans declared out Wolves bully Zion Williamson because of a back injury. That could have been a bad thing for the Wolves, who have a tendency to play down to their level of competition, as this week has shown.

But this time, the Wolves did as they should and came away with a 134-93 victory.

Friday featured a balanced scoring effort, with seven Wolves in double figures. Julius Randle led them with 20 points while Anthony Edwards and Jaden McDaniels each had 17. New Orleans committed 25 turnovers to help the Wolves recover from their bad week.

Slow start

Joe Ingles was in the starting lineup Friday night so his son Jacob, who is autistic, could see him play for the first time. In the opening minutes of the night, the Wolves were ahead 13-12 despite four turnovers. Ingles was 0 for 3 before checking out.

Edwards took just one shot in the first quarter as the Wolves led 28-22. Randle led them with nine points, including a desperation three just before the shot clock expired near the end of the quarter. The Wolves forced six Pelicans turnovers, and they closed by scoring the final six points of the quarter.

Wolves wake up

The Wolves fell behind 34-30 on a 12-2 Pelicans run to open the second period, then Jaylen Clark provided his usual spark off the bench. Clark buried a 3, then got a steal that led to a Naz Reid layup on a fast break. Coming out of a timeout, he got another steal. Coach Chris Finch said before the game Clark should’ve played more in Wednesday’s loss.

“The first regret I had the other night is I should’ve played him 20 minutes instead of 12,” Finch said.

Clark’s hustle started a 12-2 Wolves run, and the Wolves pushed their lead into double digits in the latter part of the quarter. Reid had 10 points in the first half while Jaden McDaniels, who didn’t have a rebound Wednesday, had seven points and four boards. The Wolves led 62-48 at the half.

McDaniels helped the Wolves expand their lead in the third quarter as Edwards departed for a few minutes with what appeared to be a sore right thigh. McDaniels had 10 points in the third. Edwards also got more involved with the scoring when he wasn’t nursing that injury, as he had 10 in the third quarter. The Wolves pushed their lead over 20 with a 15-6 run, and the Pelicans were up to 20 turnovers by the end of the third. The fourth quarter, for a change, was undramatic.

Ingles gets start

Ingles got his first start of the season for a special reason. Ingles’ family, which has spent the season living in Orlando, Fla., was in town. Ingles’ son Jacob, who is autistic, was able to see his father play for the first time in person. They were in town for this week’s homestand, but Ingles hadn’t played. Finch started Ingles so Jacob could see him play.

“For the first time ever, Jacob made it through an entire NBA game — out in the stands cheering for his dad’s team,” Renae Ingles, Joe’s wife, posted on Instagram on Monday. “Watching him soak in every moment, I couldn’t help but tear up with pride. It’s been six years of hard work, dedication and perseverance to reach this point, and here we are, riding high on this incredible achievement.”

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