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Timberwolves Wrap: Wolves lead wire-to-wire, dominate Pacers

By Ben Beecken

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - DECEMBER 31: Andrew Wiggins #22 and Karl-Anthony Towns #32 of the Minnesota Timberwolves look on against the Indiana Pacers during the first half at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on December 31, 2017 in Indianapolis, Indiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, IN - DECEMBER 31: Andrew Wiggins #22 and Karl-Anthony Towns #32 of the Minnesota Timberwolves look on against the Indiana Pacers during the first half at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on December 31, 2017 in Indianapolis, Indiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) /
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Jimmy Butler and the Timberwolves got back to their winning ways by dominating the Indiana Pacers on the road on New Year’s Eve.

100. 107. 86. Final. 90

For a third consecutive game, the Timberwolves built a lead of 19 points or more. And for the second time in the last three games, they came out with a victory.

The Wolves jumped out to a 17-0 lead on the Pacers to start the game, forcing a pair of timeouts from Indiana coach Nate McMillan before this squad could even get on the board. The Timberwolves defense was swarming, and the Pacers weren’t able to hit the semi-open shots that they managed to take.

Most of the rest of the first half saw the Pacers outplay the Wolves, as the Indiana bench kept them in the game while the Wolves’ bench struggled. At halftime, Minnesota led by a score of 49-38. With the recent collapses against Denver and Milwaukee still in the back of everyone’s mind, nobody was feeling too safe.

But the Wolves came out on fire in the third quarter. After not making a single 3-point attempt in the first half, they hit two quick threes in the second half en route to a lead that ballooned to 29 points at the end of the third frame.

The fourth quarter saw the lead slip away just enough early in the frame to keep Karl-Anthony Towns on the floor until there were about four minutes left in the game, although Butler was only needed for 27 minutes. Including a dominate stretch on both ends of the floor in the third quarter, he scored 26 points on just 11 shots. Towns was the only starter to play more than 31 minutes.

This was an important, albeit easy road win for the Timberwolves. They now must turn around and head back to Minneapolis to play on the back end of yet another back-to-back, so the extra rest was certainly a welcome bonus.

Key Takeaways

  • The Timberwolves offense was okay early but didn’t really hit a stride until an awesome stretch at the start of the second half that put the game out of reach.
  • The defense, on the other hand, was fantastic for much of the game. Towns had one of his better defensive performances and notched five of his six blocks in the first half.
  • Nemanja Bjelica continued to struggle in his return from injury, shooting just 2-of-11 from the floor and missing all three of his 3-point attempts.
  • While all of the Wolves starters had a plus-minus rating of at least +26 (!), everyone on the bench was at least a -7, including Bjelica’s team low of -15. Aaron Brooks also struggled mightily in his bench-high 21 minutes.

Player of the Game

Jimmy Butler: 26 points (8-11 FG, 10-11 FT), 6 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals, one turnover

Butler was fantastic. His stretch in the third quarter was the difference maker, including a pair of steals that led to buckets on the other end and an electric tip-slam off of a missed layup from Tyus Jones.

Notable Box Score Lines

  • Karl-Anthony Towns: 18 points (6-11 FG, 1-3 3P, 5-6 FT), 6 blocks, 4 assists, 2 steals
  • Taj Gibson: 17 points (8-10 FG, 1-2 3P), 9 rebounds, 2 blocks
  • Andrew Wiggins: 14 points (5-13 FG, 2-4 3P, 2-4 FT), 2 rebounds, 2 assists, one steal
  • Gorgui Dieng: 8 points (3-6 FG), 6 rebounds
  • Nemanja Bjelica: 4 points (2-11 FG, 0-3 3P), 2 rebounds, 2 steals, one assist

Next: Recipe for continued success for the Timberwolves

What’s Next?

The Timberwolves return home for the second part of the back-to-back as they host the Los Angeles Lakers, whom they beat just one week ago on Christmas night. Tip-off is at 7 p.m. CT.

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