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National Basketball Association
Indiana 116, Minnesota 114
When: 7:00 PM ET, Friday, January 17, 2020
Where: Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Indiana
Officials: #61 Courtney Kirkland, #39 Tyler Ford, #17 Jonathan Sterling
Attendance: 16248

Malcolm Brogdon nailed a tiebreaking 15-footer with 18.7 seconds left and T.J. Warren scored a game-high 28 points Friday night as the host Indiana Pacers spoiled the return of Karl-Anthony Towns with a 116-114 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves in Indianapolis.

The win allowed Indiana to sweep a tightly contested home-and-home series. The Pacers won 104-99 at Minnesota on Wednesday in a game Towns missed with an illness to continue a string of 15 straight absences after earlier having suffered a knee injury.

The All-Star center had a team-high 27 points in 28 minutes in his first game since Dec. 13, and was still producing with 1:48 remaining when his two free throws pulled Minnesota into a 114-all tie.

But with the score still tied, Towns committed an out-of-bounds turnover with 1:16 to go and teammate Andrew Wiggins had a similar miscue with 31.3 seconds left, setting up Brogdon's game-winner.

The Timberwolves had a chance to tie after Brogdon's clutch hoop, but Shabazz Napier misfired with nine seconds remaining.

The Timberwolves' Robert Covington managed to tie up Warren for a jump ball as they battled for the rebound, but the Pacers were able to run out the clock after Warren controlled the tap.

Brogdon finished with a 12-point, 10-assist double-double.

The Pacers led for almost the entire first 46 minutes, going up by as many as 11 in the second quarter. They finished each of the first three periods with a six-point lead.

A hoop by Aaron Holiday with 8:12 remaining allowed the Pacers to match their largest lead at 107-96, before the Timberwolves rallied.

Warren hit 11 of his 18 shots for the Pacers, who outshot the Timberwolves 56.1 percent to 45.5.

Jeremy Lamb chipped in with 18 points, Doug McDermott had 13 points and a team-high eight rebounds, and Holiday scored 13 points for Indiana, which won its fourth straight.

Towns' 27 points included three 3-pointers, helping the Timberwolves, who dropped their fourth in a row, to run up a 51-24 advantage in scoring from behind the line.

Wiggins backed Towns with 22 points, while Josh Okogie had 15, Jarrett Culver 12, Napier 12 to go with a team-high nine assists, and Covington nine to complement a game-high 10 rebounds.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
 
Minnesota   Indiana
Karl-Anthony Towns 27 Scoring T.J. Warren 28
Shabazz Napier 9 Assists Malcolm Brogdon 10
Robert Covington 10 Rebounds Doug McDermott 8
Karl-Anthony Towns 6 Free Throws Made Myles Turner 6
Robert Covington 1 Steals Jeremy Lamb 2
Jarrett Culver 1 Blocks Myles Turner 3
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Minnesota 114 45.5 17-39 17-21 22 36 1 4 13
Indiana 116 56.1 8-24 16-20 24 41 8 4 13
Upcoming Games
  • Indiana will play their next game on the road against Denver. The Pacers have a W/L % of .654 after a win and .625 after a loss.
  • Minnesota will play their next game at home against Toronto. The Timberwolves have a W/L % of .333 after a win and .385 after a loss.