MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Julius Randle scored 20 of his 31 points in the first half, and Rudy Gobert contributed 14 points and 19 rebounds to help the Minnesota Timberwolves hold on and defeat the depleted Indiana Pacers 114-110 on Sunday night.
The game took a hit for Minnesota early when star Anthony Edwards exited with hamstring tightness just 3:08 into the game. Despite his absence, the Timberwolves managed to maintain control. Donte DiVincenzo stepped up with 17 points to stabilize the Pacers’ backcourt, while Naz Reid added a strong performance with 16 points and 10 rebounds.
For Indiana, Pascal Siakam led the charge with 33 points. He hit a crucial 3-pointer with 42 seconds left to narrow the deficit to 110-108. However, Jaden McDaniels responded with a finger-roll basket to extend Minnesota’s lead to four with 20 seconds remaining, securing the win for the Timberwolves. Aaron Nesmith also contributed 18 points for the Pacers.
The Pacers are facing significant challenges this season. They are without Tyrese Haliburton, who is recovering from a torn Achilles tendon that ended his NBA Finals run, and they lost current leading scorer Bennedict Mathurin to a sprained toe the previous night in Memphis. Additionally, Andrew Nembhard, the primary point guard during Haliburton’s absence, missed his second straight game with a shoulder strain. In total, seven players were unavailable, forcing Indiana to deploy a starting lineup featuring journeyman Jay Huff, little-used big man Isaiah Jackson, and young guard Ben Sheppard.
The home opener in Minnesota carried extra excitement with the introduction of stage-style lighting on the court and the return of the all-black uniforms with pine-tree trim, reminiscent of the Kevin Garnett era. Nevertheless, the early loss of Edwards tempered the energy. The Timberwolves took control in the third quarter, outscoring the Pacers 28-17 and drawing 11 fouls while committing only three.
With the win, Minnesota improves to 2-1, while Indiana falls to 0-3 after their opener was a double-overtime loss to the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder.
Looking ahead, Indiana will play at Dallas on Wednesday, and Minnesota will host Denver on Monday.
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