National Basketball Association
Indiana 122, Minnesota 115
When: 7:00 PM ET, Thursday, February 28, 2019
Where: Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Indiana
Officials:
#32 Marat Kogut, #56 Mark Ayotte, #73 Tre Maddox
Attendance:
17003
By Field Level Media
Bojan Bogdanovic gave Indiana the lead for good on a layup with 3:57 remaining, and the Pacers used a strong defensive finish to hold on for a 122-115 victory Thursday night over the Minnesota Timberwolves in Indianapolis.
Bogdanovic finished with a season-high 37 points, helping the Pacers overcome a season-best 42-point explosion by Timberwolves big man Karl-Anthony Towns for a ninth win in their last 12 games.
Indiana won the game by outscoring Minnesota 16-8 after the Timberwolves had taken a 107-106 lead with 5:58 to go.
Bogdanovic's layup put the Pacers on top 109-107, and his 3-pointer 40 seconds later created a five-point margin.
He capped his big night with a pair of hoops in the final 1:30 as the Pacers held the Timberwolves at arm's length.
The tight finish capped a fourth quarter in which there were six lead changes and two ties.
Minnesota's last lead came at 107-106 with 5:58 to go on a hoop by Towns. But the Timberwolves didn't make another shot until they'd fallen eight points behind with just 26.7 seconds left, going 0-for-3 on two-pointers and 0-for-5 on threes.
Their only three points during a critical 12-3 Pacers run came on two free throws by Taj Gibson and one by Jeff Teague, but they also missed three foul shots down the stretch.
In recording the fifth 40-point game of his career, Towns shot 15-for-29, but missed four of his last five attempts, including three 3-pointers.
Reserve T.J. Leaf backed Bogdanovic with 18 points for the Pacers. Thaddeus Young (15 points), Wes Matthews (12) and Kyle O'Quinn (10) also scored in double figures for Indiana.
Towns completed a double-double with a game-high 17 rebounds for the Timberwolves. Teague and Anthony Tolliver chipped in with 13 points apiece for Minnesota while Gibson had 12, Andrew Wiggins 11 and Derrick Rose 10.
Both teams had double-digit leads in the first three quarters, which ended with the Pacers clinging to a 92-90 advantage.
The Pacers made the big run of the first 36 minutes, turning a 12-point deficit into a 64-60 halftime lead with a 24-8 burst. Young had 11 points and Bogdanovic 10 in the run.
--Field Level Media
Top Game Performances
| Minnesota |
|
Indiana |
|
Karl-Anthony Towns 42 |
Scoring |
Bojan Bogdanovic 37 |
|
Jeff Teague 5 |
Assists |
Cory Joseph 12 |
|
Karl-Anthony Towns 17 |
Rebounds |
Bojan Bogdanovic 7 |
|
Karl-Anthony Towns 9 |
Free Throws Made |
Bojan Bogdanovic 7 |
|
Taj Gibson 2 |
Steals |
Thaddeus Young 3 |
|
Andrew Wiggins 2 |
Blocks |
Myles Turner 6 |
Team Stats Summary
| Team |
Points |
FG% |
3PM-3PA |
FTM-FTA |
Assists |
Rebounds |
Blocks |
Steals |
Turnovers |
| Minnesota
|
115 |
47.2 |
8-26 |
23-34 |
16 |
56 |
7 |
5 |
18 |
| Indiana
|
122 |
47.6 |
16-27 |
26-31 |
35 |
35 |
11 |
8 |
11 |
Upcoming Games
-
Indiana will play their next game at home against Orlando. The Pacers have a W/L % of .650 after a win and .652 after a loss.
-
Minnesota will play their next game on the road against Washington. The Timberwolves have a W/L % of .483 after a win and .455 after a loss.
For more information, contact us