It was a close match at Gainbridge Fieldhouse that went down to the final seconds, and ultimately
Anthony Edwards took over the game. He had a heroic performance, leading the
Minnesota Timberwolves to a 113-11 victory over the
Indiana Pacers.
It was announced earlier today that All-Star
Karl-Anthony Towns has suffered a meniscus injury and he will undergo surgery, missing at least a month of action. This is a tough blow for the Wolves, who are on top of the West and looking to win the conference. The hope is for KAT to return sometime during the playoffs.
Anthony Edwards took it upon himself to carry the team, as he took over in the final minutes of the game to lead his squad to a win. He did it on both ends of the court, scoring the final 8 points while also getting the game-winning chasedown block on Aaron Nesmith after he missed a free throw.
Ant-Man finished with 44 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks. Rudy Gobert recorded 18 points, 14 rebounds, and 3 blocks while Jaden McDaniels had 11 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 assists. Naz Reid scored 13 points off the bench.
For the Pacers,
Pascal Siakam scored a team high 24 points.
Tyrese Haliburton found his rhythm, finishing with 23 points and 13 assists. Myles Turner recorded 12 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 blocks while Jalen Smith had 14 points off the bench.
This was a huge win for the Timberwolves, improving their record to 44-19 and giving them a 0.5 game lead above the OKC Thunder. It will be a tough stretch for Minnesota without their All-Star center but they still have a fantastic team and it showed tonight. They will look to retain the top seed in the West, and over their last 10 games they are 7-3. Next up on their schedule is a road matchup against the Cleveland Cavaliers tomorrow night.
Indiana drops to 35-29 with this loss, falling to the 8th seed in the East and sitting 1 game out avoiding the play-in. This is a tough loss for the Pacers as they are trying to snag a top 6 seed, so every game is critical for the playoff standings from here on out. They are 5-5 over their last 10 games and will look to bounce back on Sunday against the Orlando Magic.