Saturday, December 26, 2015, 8:00 PM at Target Center

 

Game Rewind

It took until the first minutes of the fourth quarter for the Pacers (17-12) to shake loose, but once they did, they never looked back. The win snapped the Pacers’ three-game losing streak and dropped the T-Wolves to 11-19 on the season.

The game was a tight back-and-forth affair for the first three quarters. Neither team could get a decisive advantage on the other, with six lead changes in the first half alone. Late in the third quarter, the T-Wolves got out to their biggest lead of the game at 68-62 before Monta Ellis brought the Pacers back with five straight points all on free throws. Heading in to the fourth quarter, the Pacers were back to within two, 68-66.

Early in the fourth quarter, the Pacers used a series of fast breaks and outlet passes to grab the lead that would ultimately propel them to the road victory.

During the run, Stuckey got things going with a steal and he took it all the way for a tough layup. Next, a couple conventional half-court sets led to a jumper by Jordan Hill and a 3-pointer by George Hill. Then, it was G. Hill scoring again, getting behind the defense and Stuckey found him with a long outlet pass that Hill finished with a reverse lay-up. Next, it was Budinger’s turn with a fast break dunk off a deep pass from G. Hill.

After that spurt, the Pacers were up 77-70 and, while Minnesota would again challenge the Pacers for the lead, the Pacers never relinquished it and ultimately ran away with the victory, 102-88. The Pacers’ biggest lead came with just 16 seconds left on the clock when they went up 102-86.

“We got some key stops.” Pacers’ forward Chase Budinger said. “We were able to get some easy baskets out in transition and then just executing the offense. We got some layups when we ran our plays and then got some open threes.”

Budinger scored seven points in the fourth quarter, including 1-1 from 3-point territory.

Monta Ellis led the Pacers with 22 points (8-15 FG), six rebounds, and three assists. It was his second-straight game scoring more than 20 points and his sixth of the season.

The T-Wolves were led by Karl-Anthony Townes’ 24 points (10-16 FG).

Noteworthy

• The Pacers’ largest lead of the night was 16 with 16 seconds left in the game. The score was 102-86.
• Monta Ellis finished with 22 points, his second straight 20+ point game and sixth of the season. He added a season-high six rebounds in 36:01.
• The Pacers shot 50.0% from the floor tonight, its fourth time this season topping 50%+. After being held to 3-of-17 from three-point range through three quarters, Indiana hit 6-of-9 in the final frame from long range.
• The Pacers put five players in double-figure scoring, led by Ellis’ 22 points. Rounding out the scoring were Paul George (18 points), Jordan Hill (12 points), Chase Budinger (11 points), and Ian Mahinmi (11 points).
• The Timberwolves had 8 steals in the third quarter, tying a club record set most recently vs. Washington exactly 11 years ago (Dec. 26, 2004).

by Jeff Tzucker