When the Indiana Pacers came to Minneapolis in October to take on the Jimmy Butler-less Timberwolves, the Pacers won big.
The Wolves came to Indiana on New Year’s Eve looking for revenge; with the Pacers being without leading scorer Victor Oladipo, the Wolves took advantage and won big.
The Wolves’ starters dominated the matchup and opened the game on a 17-0 run; a lead they would never relinquish. The Pacers starters, in fact, didn’t put up a bucket until five minutes remained in the second quarter.
It was the first beginning-to-end blowout the Timberwolves have had since their early December victory over the Sacramento Kings, and the first one on the road since their victory over Dallas in mid-November.
The game featured another stellar two-way performance from Karl-Anthony Towns. His 18 points, 14 rebounds and four assists were great on the stat sheet, but the impact those buckets, passes, and hard-nosed rebounds were more impactful than some of his past big-number games.
His offense also put Myles Turner – the Pacers’ go-to guy in Oladipo’s absence – in early foul trouble he never got out of.
On top of all that – and perhaps most importantly – he finished the game with a career-high six blocks, but never strayed from playing good defense in order to swat a couple more. He stayed grounded on pump fakes, and managed to create his most noticeable presence on defense in recent memory.
But a 17-point victory – a differential that was, and could have been, much bigger had Thibodeau not brought out human victory cigars like Cole Aldrich – doesn’t happen with just one player.
Butler – who missed the first matchup between these two teams – showcased his usual franchise player presence scoring 25 points on 11 shots, notching five assists, and leading the backcourt in a steals party.
He and Tyus Jones combined for five steals, and the Wolves as a team forced 16 turnovers, scoring 21 points on those thefts.
Butler’s longtime teammate Taj Gibson had a huge impact in his own right, scoring in high volumes on a low volume of shot attempts. He dropped 17 points on 10 shots, hit a corner 3, and did an outstanding job containing sixth man Domantas Sabonis — a feat not accomplished the last time these two teams played.
While the Wolves did give up some buckets after the 17-0 run, they never trailed in this game, and never allowed the game to hit single digits again after they went into the locker room up by 11 at halftime.
It was a signature big-digit victory that they desperately needed, especially in the absence of starting point guard Jeff Teague. With Thibodeau appearing to keep a tight leash on temporary backup point guard Aaron Brooks, the Wolves have essentially gone back to an eight-man rotation. The last time that happened, the minute-load for the starters hit a controversially-high level.
In this game – while Towns still finished with 38 minutes – Butler and Jones only played 27 minutes, while Wiggins and Gibson only notched 31.
This is especially big on the front end of a back-to-back, as the Wolves will fly back to Minneapolis late Sunday night for a Monday contest with the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Lakers, who also played Sunday, will still likely be without Lonzo Ball, who did not travel to Houston for their New Year’s Eve matchup.
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