After dropping a couple games it should not have earlier in the week, Minnesota took better care of business Friday at Target Center.

Facing a Pelicans team down four of its top five players — including Zion Williamson, who missed Friday’s bout with a back bruise after dominating Wednesday’s bout — the Timberwolves jumped all over the depleted Pelicans at Target Center for a 134-93 rout.

Trailing 34-30 early in the second quarter, Jaylen Clark inspired Minnesota to crank up its defensive intensity after another lackadaisical open. Once their defense started to dictate play, it was all Wolves. The defense almost always led to offense, with 26 Pelicans turnovers resulting in 37 Minnesota points.

The Wolves were up 14 at the half and 25 at the end of three.

Minnesota’s bench was largely emptied with eight minutes to play in regulation.

Everyone contributed for the Wolves across the board, with seven players scoring in double figures, led by 20 from Julius Randle. But Rudy Gobert was the true star of the evening. The center finished with 15 points, 11 rebounds and three steals. Minnesota won his 30 minutes by 34 points on Friday against New Orleans (19-52)

Joe Ingles started both halves for Minnesota (41-31), a move made by Wolves coach Chris Finch to make sure Ingles’ autistic son, who’d recently reached a point where he could sit through an NBA game in an arena, could see his dad play during the family’s trip to Minnesota.

Ingles’ wife and children are primarily based in Orlando, where the forward played last season, because of the supports his son received there.

Minnesota next travels to Indiana, where it will face the Pacers on Monday. That will be the Wolves’ second chance in four days to exact revenge for their losses this week. Those defeats have severely decreased Minnesota’s chances of avoiding the play-in tournament in the West.

But with the defeats behind them, all the Wolves can do is look forward and make sure not to kick anymore away between now and the regular season’s conclusion.

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