Pacers 123, Timberwolves 112: New-Look Offense Won’t Be Ignored Even in Loss

The Minnesota Timberwolves played a special game against the Indiana Pacers at the Hilton Coliseum on the Iowa State campus as former Cyclone Tyrese Haliburton got his first game action in over 600 days. He addressed the crowd before tip-off, leaving a buzz circulating through the arena. Many were excited to see Hali’s first action at his alma mater, but just a three-hour and 15-minute drive north will bring you to Minneapolis and the Target Center. Timberwolves jerseys littered throughout the crowd to see Ball and Edwards put on a show. They did not disappoint. 

Breaking Down the Starters

Minnesota ultimately lost the matchup 123-11, but there was plenty to take away from a second game of these new-look Wolves as the starters played the entire first half and nearly half of the third quarter.

Advertisement

The Wolves jumped out to a quick 10-point lead early in the contest through smooth ball movement and exceptional defense from both McDaniels and Gobert, but quickly realized that this Pacers team is no Milwaukee Bucks, especially with the return of their star floor general in Haliburton. 

Things got ugly fast, though, as Minnesota went into the half with 13 turnovers, leading to some quick, easy looks for Indiana. The Pacers lit up the scoreboard early as well, shooting 62% from the field and 50% from three after the first quarter.

Sloppy rotations, lack of urgency to close out, and general confusion smothered the Wolves’ defense against a much smoother Pacers team. However, Minnesota was able to reel the troops in and grab 18 points off turnovers from Indiana to close the half. 

All while that was happening on the defensive end of the floor, LaMelo Ball was showing what he brings to this Minnesota team on the offensive end. He finished his evening with seven assists, all in the first half, 14 points on 5-9 from the field, and 4-6 from three. That includes one cold-blooded three to tie the bow on quarter one. What Ball was able to do on the floor, manipulating defenders, was on display, especially for his running mates, Anthony Edwards (19 PTS, 5-10 from the field, 4-5 on threes) and Jaden McDaniels (16 PTS,…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/pacers-123-timberwolves-112-look-040010639.html

Author :

Publish date : 2026-10-08 04:00:00

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.