The last time the Timberwolves played the Indiana Pacers, they got smashed.
And even without Jimmy Butler – who was out with an illness – the result wasn’t expected.
Under the leadership of potential first-time All-Star Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis – both of whom were acquired in a trade for Paul George in the 2017 offseason – the Pacers were able to build a scoring onslaught that even a 42-point quarter couldn’t overcome.
The Pacers scored 130 points in that game – a feat that hasn’t been matched by any Timberwolves opponent since – and the clear impact Butler has on the Timberwolves’ success was as apparent then as it’s been at any point since.
Two days later, the Timberwolves lost big to the Detroit Pistons, and the hypothesis was all but confirmed.
And while Butler has quickly proven his worth as a franchise player to the Wolves – both in terms of team and individual success – the Pacers have proven that their win might have happened with or without Butler in the lineup.
While the Pacers might lack in big-time star power, their team stacks up eerily consistently to the Wolves.
| Team | Offensive Rating | Defensive Rating | Net Rating |
| Minnesota Timberwolves | 109.9 (4th) | 108.0 (26th) | 1.9 (9th) |
| Indiana Pacers | 108.1 (7th) | 106.8 (21st) | 1.3 (10th) |
The Pacers’ equivalent to Butler, if anyone, has been Oladipo. Not only has he led his team to a 19-17 record, he’s putting up career highs in virtually every statistical category – points, rebounds, assists, field goal, 3-point, true shooting, effective field goal percentage and player efficiency rating.
The list goes on.
But more important than his numbers is the win total. The fact that they’re already up to 19 wins, when they were projected to win 30, has been one of the surprises of the league this season.
Besides the win at the Target Center in October, the Pacers have also notched wins against the Spurs, Cavaliers (twice) and Raptors.
Butler’s presence will help, no question, but this team can play.
Final Notes:
- Tyus Jones started the fourth game of his career, but his first since Jeff Teague went down with a knee injury on Thursday. He finished with a season-high five steals, but struggled to get any offense going.
- Despite Teague’s absence, Marcus Georges-Hunt only notched one minute, while Aaron Brooks amassed just four minutes. It seems as though Tom Thibodeau will mostly revert to his eight-man rotation for now; similar to what we saw while Nemanja Bjelica was out.
Listen to Tim on Wolves Wired!
