Ayo Dosunmu and LaMelo Ball Light the Way for Minnesota

With Anthony Edwards unavailable, Minnesota needed new leaders Sunday night. Ayo Dosunmu answered with 26 points, and LaMelo Ball added 24 as the Timberwolves pulled away from Utah 115-100. The victory lifted Minnesota from 7-3 to 8-3, while the young Jazz fell from 1-8 to 1-9.

Minnesota started fast behind Ball. He scored on a floater, then another short shot, before Jaden McDaniels stole a pass and fed Jonathan Kuminga for a running dunk and a 6-0 lead. Utah did not blink. Darryn Peterson drilled a three-pointer, and center Jaxson Hayes finished an alley-oop dunk as the Jazz fought back. Peterson’s running dunk put Utah ahead 12-9.

The Wolves needed a spark, and Dosunmu supplied one with a three-pointer to tie it. Utah then pushed its lead to 18-12 behind Ace Bailey, but Minnesota’s second group changed the rhythm. Guard Hyland hit a driving layup and then a three, while forward Lyles tipped in a miss. Lyles buried a three-pointer just before the first-quarter horn, giving Minnesota a 28-25 lead.

Ball returned in the second quarter and began connecting the pieces. He sent a pass to Rudy Gobert for an alley-oop dunk, then sank back-to-back deep three-pointers. McDaniels also scored eight points in the quarter, but Peterson and Keyonte George kept Utah close. George set up Hayes for a late dunk, cutting the gap to three. Minnesota closed the half with steady free throws and led 57-51.

Utah came out of halftime with force. Peterson opened the third with a three, and Josh Green soon tied the score at 57. The game stayed tied at 63 until Ball fired in a three-pointer. Then he stole George’s pass and raced in for a dunk, turning a tense tie into a seven-point Minnesota lead.

That sequence opened the door for the Wolves’ biggest push. Dosunmu scored inside and made two free throws, while Peterson answered with a step-back three for Utah. But Minnesota’s bench and defense kept building. Hyland scored five late points, McDaniels hit a three, and guard Clark made three free throws with less than a second left. The Wolves carried a 90-78 lead into the fourth.

Utah made one more run. Peterson scored twice to bring the Jazz within 96-84, but Gobert answered with a tip-in dunk after grabbing an offensive rebound. McDaniels then hit a three off Ball’s pass, and Ball buried another three to make it 106-92. Dosunmu sealed the story with a three-pointer and two late free throws.

Gobert’s 15 rebounds gave Minnesota extra possessions and helped limit Utah around the rim. Peterson finished with 26 points and George had 19 points and eight assists, showing the Jazz have young creators worth watching. Still, Minnesota’s Ball-Dosunmu partnership carried this chapter. The Timberwolves next face Dallas, while Utah heads to Miami looking to turn its energetic stretches into a full-game result.