NEW ORLEANS _ Some in the home crowd booed as the public address announcer introduced the All-Star on their favorite team who wants to get out of town. Then whenever he touched the ball, the boos came louder and louder.
This wasn't a repeat of Jimmy Butler's first game this season at Target Center, but Smoothie King Center in New Orleans had that feel as Anthony Davis returned to the lineup after the organization failed to trade their unhappy star before Thursday's deadline.
The Wolves probably wished they had as Davis took the floor for the first time since demanding a trade. Still New Orleans tried to do Minnesota a favor, sitting Davis the final 15 minutes, 14 seconds Friday, but the Wolves couldn't capitalize in a 122-117 loss, the fourth straight for an undermanned, depleted team that is in desperate need of something to go right. Nothing will.
Davis dominated when he was in the game, scoring 32 points and grabbing nine rebounds in 25 minutes and his teammates took it from there, as the Wolves were unable to capitalize with Davis on the bench down the stretch, the result of a minutes restriction Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry said Davis was on as he returned from a finger injury.
It was Julius Randle who helped put the Wolves to bed Friday, scoring a pair of buckets with under a minute remaining to make it a two-possession game twice, once with 42.5 seconds remaining, the other with 23.6.
Isaiah Canaan (12 points) got the start at point guard for the injured Jerry Bayless (right big toe), while Jeff Teague returned from a left foot injury to score 12 points off the bench. Karl-Anthony Towns finished with 32 points.
The Wolves led 35-22 after one as Andrew Wiggins (23 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists) got the offense humming with nine points and five assists in the first. They that lead to 18 at the start of the second, but Davis kept the Pelicans afloat. He was able to quiet the boos with 24 first-half points on 8 of 9 shooting. He finally got some help later in the second as Jrue Holiday scored 11 of 13 Pelicans points for New Orleans. The Wolves held a 16-point lead at the 5:21 mark. It was gone within four minutes.
New Orleans would go ahead in the third as Davis kept racking up buckets in the paint. New Orleans grew its lead to 14, a 32-point swing from early in the second quarter.
Davis exited the game for the final time with 3:14 to play in the third and the Wolves were able to make a run to get back in the game. They finished the quarter on a 12-0 run to get within 90-88 by the start of the fourth. The Wolves had their chance to reclaim the lead with Davis out, but only tread water with the Pelicans through much of the fourth, their defense unable to get enough consecutive stops to make a run.
Down 112-110 with around a minute left, the Wolves couldn't get a shot off, instead turning the ball over before Randle made it a 114-110 game. Following a Towns dunk, Randle sank another shot to make it 116-112 with 23.6 seconds remaining, essentially sending the Wolves to another close loss.
