The Timberwolves and Charlotte Hornets were tied 24-24 entering the second quarter of Monday night’s game at Target Center in Minneapolis. Then the Timberwolves were off to the races.

Nickeil Alexander-Walker nailed a three-pointer on the opening points of the second frame. Donte DiVincenzo’s steal led to Rudy Gobert’s transition dunk. DiVincenzo then found Gobert for another dunk and DiVincenzo hit a 3 on the next possession. Mike Conley assisted DiVincenzo on another steal, and Naz Reid grabbed an offensive rebound at the other end to cap a 12-2 Wolves run just 2 minutes, 29 seconds into the game.

Hornets called a timeout.

Wolves increased the number to 12 points in the first half and 20 points at the end of the third quarter. The same squad opened the fourth quarter with an 8-0 run; Reid and Conley hit 3-pointers and Alexander-Walker hit a pair of free throws. The final result was convincing 114-93 victory On the Hornets. This game was a prime example of the Wolves bench getting into action early.

Timberwolves coach Chris Finch was asked about his bench situation postgame and he cited the pluses and minuses in the box score. Reid and DiVincenzo each posted a game-best plus-33. Alexander-Walker was plus-22. Conley finished the night with a plus-20 score and Gobert finished the night with a plus-15 score in the five-man squad that dominated the match.

“They keep us starting the game all the time,” Finch said. “We need to find a rhythm with our starting group, but our bench is huge and they’re all — I’m lucky I have eight starters. “I was really spoiled for choice there.”

Some of the Timberwolves’ bench players, particularly the second-team lineup of Conley, Gobert, DiVincenzo, Alexander-Walker and Reid, found a rhythm early, but the starters didn’t always get on the same page.

Conley, Gobert, DiVincenzo, Alexander-Walker and Reid have a plus-minus of plus-30 on the season, the best of any five-man combination on the team. Their offensive rating of 119.7 is the second best among five-man combinations that have played at least three games, while their defensive rating of 74.2 is the fourth best among five-man combinations that have watched three games. They average 33.3 assists per 100 possessions and have a 2.75 assist-to-turnover ratio.

Conley said the surplus of quarterbacks makes his job easier.

“We’re all really excited when we come into the game and it’s just like a small group of guys and you don’t know who’s going to score, who’s going to score, who’s going to be the guy to seize the moments. said Conley.

Other lineup combinations also excelled. For example, Conley, Gobert, DiVincenzo, Reid and Jaden McDaniels score 133.3 points per 100 possessions and have a 3.0 assist-to-turnover ratio. Gobert, DiVincenzo, Alexander-Walker, Reid and Anthony Edwards can only score 70.2 points per 100 possessions. Julius Randle, Alexander-Walker, Reid, DiVincenzo and Edwards are the second-best players on the team at plus-12 and have been effective on both ends of the floor.

The first 11 was not very effective. The starting group has a plus-minus of 13 on the season, a 111.4 offensive rating, a 120.3 defensive rating and has by far the most turnovers of the five-man group at 35. the parts fit together better; such as Edwards and Randle.

Randle’s physical presence and tendency to attack the paint has provided Edwards with more catch-and-shoot opportunities from the three-point line. Finch said before the Hornets game that he would give the duo a B-plus through five games. He’s pleased with his accomplishments in the pick-and-roll, the way Randle looks for Edwards in transition, and how Randle has been able to take some of the pressure off Edwards. This duo has an offensive rating of 115.2, but Finch thinks there is still room for improvement.

But the top five as a whole couldn’t put it all together. Randle’s skill set is very different from Karl-Anthony Towns’, and Gobert’s spacing in the post in particular is still a work in progress. McDaniels has been dealing with some early season challenges. There are still things to figure out, but there are reasons to be optimistic.

“We’ve got to get used to the gaps… how can we compete with each other better, which will take time, and once we figure that out, we blend that with the way the second unit gets off to a fast start, which is when you get a really, really, really good, consistent performance,” he said. Conley.