INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Ayo Dosunmu scored 24 points and Julius Randle and Bones Hyland each added 19 as the Minnesota Timberwolves picked up a critical 124-104 victory over the Indiana Pacers on Tuesday night.
Hyland also had seven assists and Rudy Gobert finished with 12 rebounds. Minnesota clinched a top six seed, avoiding the Western Conference’s play-in tournament, when Houston beat Phoenix later Tuesday.
For the Timberwolves, it was a much-needed turnaround. They snapped a three-game losing streak and won for just the second time in six games as they try to build postseason momentum.
The Timberwolves also won despite the absences of All-Star guard Anthony Edwards and Jayden McDaniels. Edwards has missed nine of Minnesota’s last 11 games with a bad right knee, this time on the front end of a back-to-back and against a Pacers squad missing a large group of injured players. McDaniels missed his sixth straight game with an injured left knee.
Ethan Thompson scored 17 points to lead Indiana, and Obi Toppin and Jalen Slawson each had 14 points. The league’s second-worst team lost its third straight and fell to 4-22 in its last 26 games. Indiana still needs two wins to avoid posting the lowest single season victory total in the franchise’s NBA history.
And this one was never really close.
Minnesota took a double-digit lead late in the first quarter, still led 63-53 at the half and extended the margin to 73-55 early in the third. After the Pacers cut the deficit to 77-67 with six straight points midway through the third, the Timberwolves closed the quarter on a 25-5 run that made it 102-77 and sealed the victory.
Up next
Timberwolves: Travel to Orlando for their final back-to-back this season on Wednesday.
Pacers: Play their final road game this season Thursday at Brooklyn.
___
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA