NBA highlights on Feb. 2: Magic overcome 17-point deficit to beat Timberwolves

The Orlando Magic defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves 108-106 at the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Friday, pulling the opponents off the leading position in the Western Conference.

The Magic trailed by as many as 17 points (43-26) in the game but managed to come back thanks to their unremitting efforts of cutting toward the rim and remarkable defensive aggression. They led 11-8 in steals over the Timberwolves, forced 17 turnovers by the opponents and turned them into 17 fast break points. By contrast, the Timberwolves got only seven points in transition.

Franz Wagner, Jalen Suggs, Markelle Fultz, Cole Anthony and Jonathan Isaac all had two steals each. Though both teams are the NBA's top-four defensive teams this season, they varied a lot in style. Unlike the Timberwolves, who built a fortress around three-time Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert, the Magic gave nearly everyone a relatively equal defensive task.

That's why the Magic allowed Gobert, a pure finisher on the offensive end, to score 22 points. He is too big to be stopped once he receives the ball next to the hoop. When Mike Conley was pairing with Gobert, he always tried to feed the ball to the French giant for easy buckets. Gobert made six of his seven field goals (FGs) and 10 of his 11 free throws.

However, there are limits on both the offensive load Gobert could shoulder and the minutes 36-year-old Conley could play. When their screen plays ceased to work, the Timberwolves had to go to Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns for offensive performances off the dribble, only to find that both were contained by the Magic's defenders.

Paolo Banchero, Wagner, Wendell Carter Jr., Suggs Isaac and other defenders of the Magic couldn't stop Towns and Edwards from scoring in every possession, but they made the two struggle for every point. The two combined to shoot 15-for-35 from the field to score 41 points and six assists, but with nine turnovers.

Meanwhile, as the best-orchestrating Timberwolf, Conley missed eight of his nine shots to get only four points. The team's biggest offensive shortcoming continued to cost them: They lacked an ace who could both make plays and score. When the opponents cut them apart and met their isolation with tough defense, the Timberwolves could easily fall into an obsession with unreasonable, low-efficient offensive choices, like they did in the fourth quarter.

The Magic are one of the league's worst 3-point shooting teams this season. They knocked down nine of their 25 shots from downtown, but made up for it by having big-size forwards charge the rim without the ball over and over. Even if Gobert stopped their first wave of attack, he would have lost the best rebounding position, which the Magic exploited to lead 10-6 on the offensive glass and 18-10 in second-chance points.

Other games on Friday (away teams come first):

Phoenix Suns 120-129 Atlanta Hawks

The Suns suffered their 10th straight loss at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia, after watching Trae Young drop a double-double of 32 points and 15 assists for the Hawks. He and Bogdan Bogdanovic combined to drain 11 triples out of 18 attempts. Their side led in offensive rebounds 12-8 as well. Clint Capela alone grabbed six of those rebounds.

Kevin Durant scored a game-high 35 points in addition to eight rebounds and eight assists for the Suns on Friday night. Devin Booker added 24 points. As the third member of the team's "Big Three," Bradley Beal delivered 10 assists but missed all seven of his 3-pointers.

Golden State Warriors 121-101 Memphis Grizzlies

The Warriors managed to secure their second straight win as Jonathan Kuminga extended his 20+ point scoring streak to eight games at FedExForum in Memphis, Tennessee, on Friday. The 21-year-old went 11-for-15 to get a court-high 29 points. The other youngster on the team, Brandin Podziemski, had a double-double of 12 points and 14 assists without even one turnover.

The injury-laden Grizzlies had Derrick Rose back after a month-long absence due to injury. The 35-year-old point guard shot 5-for-9 to score 12 points and four assists off the bench.

Los Angeles Clippers 136-125 Detroit Pistons

Miami Heat 110-102 Washington Wizards

Sacramento Kings 133-122 Indiana Pacers

Toronto Raptors 106-135 Houston Rockets

Charlotte Hornets 106-126 Oklahoma City Thunder

New Orleans Pelicans 114-113 San Antonio Spurs

Portland Trail Blazers 108-120 Denver Nuggets