Entering Tuesday, the Minnesota Timberwolves have lost three games in a row. Anthony Edwards has only played in two of their last 10 contests, and he is once again listed as out for Tuesday with a knee injury.
Right now, the fanbase isn’t exhibiting much confidence as the postseason nears. A third playoff matchup against Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets in the opening round is looking more likely by the day, especially with the injuries that the Los Angeles Lakers are dealing with. It feels like the Timberwolves absolutely have to make a statement on Tuesday on the road against a tanking Indiana Pacers team.
The Pacers should be a get-right game for the Wolves
This year, Indiana owns a brutal 18-60 record. That’s the second-worst in the entire league, just a game better than the Washington Wizards. Likewise, the Pacers rank in the bottom five in offensive rating, defensive rating, and net rating.
For over a month, from February 19 until March 22, the Pacers didn’t win a single game. That stretch included 16 consecutive losses for Indiana, some to teams that are tanking alongside them.
This is a squad that has given up at least 123 points in 17 of its last 22 outings. That should be the perfect remedy for a Timberwolves team that has really struggled on the offensive end and will be without their superstar top scorer on Tuesday (also will not have Jaden McDaniels).
One of the top-scoring teams for much of the season, Minnesota has seen both its points per game and offensive rating rankings drop of late. The Wolves have cleared 110 points just once in their last eight games, often not even coming close to approaching the 117.5 they average on the season.
Very few will be impressed if the Timberwolves have a stellar offensive showing against the dreadful Pacers. It should be expected against a team that hasn't seemed to even try to win for months now.
Nonetheless, it can do a lot fo rthe confidence of players who have been in offensive funks, such as Naz Reid and Donte DiVincenzo, to see the ball go through the net. That's what is important, as the Wolves have just three regular season games remaining after their outing with the Pacers.
Despite being virtually locked into the No. 6 seed, the Wolves desperately need to build some momentum (especially on offense) before the playoffs.