Tyrese Haliburton recorded a 24-point, 11-assist double-double, and the Indiana Pacers scored their fifth consecutive win with a 119-103 defeat of the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday in Indianapolis.
The Pacers (42-29) opened the second half on an 8-0 run, shortly followed up with a 12-0 run, helping open up a lead of as many as 21 points in the third quarter.
Indiana maintained the cushion throughout the fourth quarter thanks to a stout defensive effort. The Pacers held Minnesota to 9-of-35 shooting from 3-point range while forcing the Timberwolves into 17 turnovers.
The defensive effort helped improve Indiana to 4-0 on a five-game homestand and gave the Pacers their first win of the ongoing streak by more than six points.
Haliburton’s 11th consecutive double-double dating back to Feb. 23 paced Indiana offensively. Obi Toppin came off the bench to score 20 points, shooting 6-of-9 from outside.
Toppin knocked down three of his 3-pointers over a stretch of 2:31 to close out the pivotal third period.
Aaron Nesmith shot 3-of-3 from 3-point range en route to 17 points. Pascal Siakam scored 14 points and grabbed six rebounds.
Bennedict Mathurin’s 11 points extended his run of double-digit scoring performances to five games, while fellow reserve T.J. McConnell added 10 points.
The 3-point shooting woes plaguing Minnesota (41-32) started with Anthony Edwards. The Timberwolves’ season-long leading scorer went 1-of-11 from deep on Monday, the same rate at which he shot in Indiana’s 132-130 win at Minnesota on March 17.
Edwards finished with 17 points in Monday’s loss.
Julius Randle finished with nine points, less than half of his season average. Naz Reid’s 20 points off the bench led the Timberwolves.
Rudy Gobert posted a double-double with 16 points and 16 rebounds in the loss.
Indiana concludes its homestand on Wednesday against the Los Angeles Lakers, one of the five teams along with Minnesota that began the week in a tight Western Conference. Just 3.5 games separate the fourth-place Lakers and eight-place Timberwolves.
