After the timeout, the Pelicans substituted Siakam in for Butler.
Towns powered his way inside and drew a defensive foul from Harrell.
He made one of two free throws.
On the next possession, Rose drove and kicked it out to Kuzma, who followed up with a layup to finally get on the board.
The lead reached 20+ points!
In less than three minutes, Rose had already dished out two consecutive assists.
The Rose of Chicago had transformed into a playmaking maestro!
Tang Tian and Butler were grinning especially happily on the bench.
On one hand, the bench unit had directly extended the lead, meaning they could clock out early in the second half.
On the other hand, seeing Rose, a former MVP, find his game again with the Pelicans was something worth feeling emotional about.
It was not until there were seven minutes left in the quarter that Stevens put Tang Tian and Butler back in, while finally letting Rose rest.
Rose had already put up 9 points and 3 assists, delivering an outstanding performance.
Moreover, under his leadership, the Pelicans' Bench Connection Segment had played exceptionally well and pushed the lead beyond 20 points.
Once the starters returned, Tang Tian and Butler went on another wild tear, and in the blink of an eye, the lead had ballooned to 30+.
The Timberwolves were young, and their enthusiasm was easily ignited.
But precisely because they were young, once the situation turned against them, they did not know how to play from behind.
Tang Tian and Butler did not return after playing just five minutes in the second half.
The entire second half essentially became time for the Pelicans to evaluate and develop their bench players.
Rose carried over his excellent first half form and remained eye-catching.
Stevens also gave him