Timberwolves overwhelmed by Pacers again, lose 119-103

Chris Hine, The Minnesota Star Tribune on Mar 24, 2025

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INDIANAPOLIS – The Indiana Pacers team the Timberwolves played Monday night on the road was nothing like the team they faced at Target Center a week ago. The Pacers had their starting lineup out in that game, but they still managed to beat a disinterested Minnesota team.

The regulars were back for Indiana on Monday night, and the Wolves were no match for them in a 119-103 loss.

After winning eight straight games, the Wolves have now lost three of four, two of those coming against Indiana. The Pacers ran circles around the Wolves all night on both ends of the floor. They stressed their defense with their quick-paced offense and were all over the passing lanes on the defensive end of the floor. Indiana led by as many as 23 in the second half. Anthony Edwards played despite having a wrap on his right hand because of a lacerated thumb. Perhaps it was no coincidence that he had one of his worst 3-point shooting nights of the season (1 for 11, 17 points). Naz Reid led the Wolves with 20 while Rudy Gobert had 16 points and 16 rebounds.

Tyrese Haliburton had 24 points and 11 assists for Indiana while Obi Toppin had 20 off the bench.

Slow Wolves start

Edwards opened the night 2 for 6 from the field, 0 for 3 from 3-point range. The Wolves offense was slow to get going from the opening tip; the Wolves shot just 9 for 24 in the first quarter, and they never led in the first 12 minutes.

Indiana opened up an eight-point lead, but the Wolves defense did a good job of limiting the fast-paced Pacers in the early going. Indiana shot just 10 for 24 to open the night. Rudy Gobert grabbed seven rebounds in his first shift of the night. No Wolves player scored more than four points in the quarter as Minnesota went into the second down 25-23.

Pacers extend lead

One of the only Wolves to ward off their early-game scoring drought was Mike Conley, who hit his first three shots of the night, the second of which tied the score at 27 in the second quarter. But Indiana went on an 8-0 run after that as the Wolves bogged down again. It was Conley who helped get the going again with a right-handed runner that cut the Pacers lead to 35-31 and forced an Indiana timeout.

But the Wolves couldn’t captialize on the minutes Conley was giving them. The Pacers stretched their lead into double digits for the first time later in the quarter behind a 14-6 run. Toppin, who killed the Wolves in the teams’ previous meeting in Minnesota, had 11 first-half points, including three 3s. The Pacers led by as many as 13 before a 9-2 Wolves run closed the quarter, and the Wolves went into the halftime locker room down 54-48. Edwards led the Wolves with 12, 6 for 7 from two-point range, 0 for 4 from deep.

The Pacers scored the first five points of the third quarter, prompting a timeout from Chris Finch 1 minutes, 5 seconds into the third. The Wolves fell down as much as 15 before a 7-0 run, which included Edwards’ first 3, cut the deficit back to eight. But that was the lone bright spot of the quarter.

The Wolves committed five turnovers in the third, and Indiana grew its lead to as much as 21. Toppin added another nine points and was up to 20 by the end of the quarter while Haliburton was up to 22. The Wolves lost the quarter 41-25 and were down 95-73 entering the fourth.

The Wolves struggled to match Indiana’s speed on both ends of the floor, with the Pacers seeming as though they knew where the Wolves were going to throw some passes before the Wolves did.

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