Towns scores 40 and Edwards has 37 as Timberwolves top short-handed Pacers 127-109
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) Karl-Anthony Towns scored a season-high 40 points and grabbed 12 rebounds, Anthony Edwards added 37 points and the Minnesota Timberwolves pulled away in the second half to dominate the short-handed Indiana Pacers 127-109 on Saturday night.
Naz Reid added 17 points and Kyle Anderson had 10 assists for Minnesota, now 11-1 at home and tied with Boston for the league’s best record at 19-5.
Towns had his highest scoring total since a career-best 60 points March 14, 2022. Edwards finished one point shy of his season high. The pair combined for 54 of the Wolves’ first 75 points: 27 apiece.
“He’s been like that since I’ve been here,” Edwards said of Towns. “He’s always been efficient, gets us points. Tries to do everything he can to help us win. He’s always been like that. It’s not impressive to me, I’m used to seeing it. That’s KAT.”
Minnesota shot a season-high 55.8% from the field, including a season-best 60% with a season-high 18 makes from outside the arc.
“This is one of the best teams on the planet,” said Indiana coach Rick Carlisle. “… It’s a good experience to battle these guys. Our young guys got some great experience tonight.”
Bruce Brown and Aaron Nesmith scored 17 points for the Pacers. Miles Turner, T.J. McConnell and Isaiah Jackson also scored in double figures as Indiana shot 50% but lost three in a row for the first time this season.
Playing its third road game in four nights and fourth in six, Indiana was without top scorer Tyrese Haliburton, who sustained a bruised left knee Friday in a 137-123 loss at Washington. Additionally, the Pacers did not arrive in Minnesota until Saturday afternoon after aircraft mechanical issues forced them to stay in Washington on Friday night.
“No excuses,” Brown said. “I’m just happy to go home.”
The team’s leading scorer at 25.7 points per game and league leader in assists with 12 per game, Haliburton is shooting 51.5% from the field and 43.5% from 3-point range. Carlisle did not provide a timetable on how long Haliburton would be out.
Towns had 20 points midway through the second quarter, but the balanced Indiana attack had the Pacers up by six before Edwards took over.
He scored 14 of his 18 second-quarter points in the final four minutes, including a quartet of 3s and a reverse layup in the final seconds for a 57-55 intermission lead.
Edwards had just nine points on 3-for-19 shooting and 0-for-3 from deep in Thursday’s 119-101 win at Dallas.
Two 3-pointers apiece by Reid and Troy Brown Jr. sandwiched around Rudy Gobert’s block of Nesmith’s layup attempt highlighted a 12-4 surge to put Minnesota up 87-71 midway through the third quarter. A three-point play by Towns in the quarter’s final minute pushed the lead to 19.
Minnesota outscored Indiana 39-23 in the 12 minutes. The Timberwolves entered the game allowing a league-low 105.7 points.
“Our defense did a good job getting us into this game tonight. Offensively, it’s great to hit some shots, but being able to fall back on our identity and our standards defensively found our way to the win,” Towns said.
Minnesota starting forward Jaden McDaniels left the game with a bruised tailbone.
UP NEXT
Pacers: Home against the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday.
Timberwolves: At Miami on Monday.
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| Time | Team | Play | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12:00 |  | Myles Turner vs. Rudy Gobert (Anthony Edwards gains possession) | ||
| 11:43 |  | Buddy Hield personal foul (Rudy Gobert draws the foul) | ||
| 11:35 | | Anthony Edwards misses two point pullup bank jump shot | ||
| 11:31 | | T.J. McConnell defensive rebound | ||
| 11:17 | | +3 | Myles Turner makes three point jump shot (T.J. McConnell assists) | 3-0 |
| 10:58 | | Karl-Anthony Towns misses three point jump shot | ||
| 10:56 | | Myles Turner defensive rebound | ||
| 10:49 | | +3 | Obi Toppin makes three point stepback jump shot (T.J. McConnell assists) | 6-0 |
| 10:29 | | +2 | Karl-Anthony Towns makes two point driving dunk | 6-2 |
| 10:19 | | Obi Toppin turnover (lost ball) (Jaden McDaniels steals) | ||
| 10:11 | | Obi Toppin shooting foul (Karl-Anthony Towns draws the foul) | ||
| 10:11 | | +1 | Karl-Anthony Towns makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 6-3 |
| 10:11 | | +1 | Karl-Anthony Towns makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 6-4 |
| 9:51 | | +2 | Bruce Brown makes two point driving layup (Buddy Hield assists) | 8-4 |
| 9:41 | | T.J. McConnell blocks Karl-Anthony Towns's two point driving layup | ||
| 9:40 | | Timberwolves offensive rebound | ||
| 9:35 | | +2 | Karl-Anthony Towns makes two point driving floating jump shot (Mike Conley assists) | 8-6 |
| 9:25 | | Myles Turner misses three point jump shot | ||
| 9:22 | | Obi Toppin offensive rebound | ||
| 9:22 | | +2 | Obi Toppin makes two point putback layup | 10-6 |
| 9:06 | | Anthony Edwards misses two point turnaround jump shot | ||
| 9:03 | | Obi Toppin defensive rebound | ||
| 8:59 | | Buddy Hield misses three point running jump shot | ||
| 8:56 | | T.J. McConnell offensive rebound | ||
| 8:55 | | Buddy Hield misses three point jump shot | ||
| 8:55 | | Obi Toppin offensive rebound | ||
| 8:46 | | Buddy Hield turnover (lost ball) (Anthony Edwards steals) | ||
| 8:43 | | Anthony Edwards turnover (bad pass) (T.J. McConnell steals) | ||
| 8:32 | | T.J. McConnell misses three point jump shot | ||
| 8:29 | | Rudy Gobert defensive rebound | ||
| 8:22 | | Jaden McDaniels misses two point pullup jump shot | ||
| 8:20 | | T.J. McConnell defensive rebound | ||
| 8:15 | | +2 | Obi Toppin makes two point running reverse layup (T.J. McConnell assists) | 12-6 |
| 8:15 | | Timberwolves 60 second timeout | ||
| 8:06 | | Jaden McDaniels turnover (bad pass) (Myles Turner steals) | ||
| 8:02 | | T.J. McConnell misses two point running jump shot | ||
| 7:59 | | Myles Turner offensive rebound | ||
| 7:54 | | Buddy Hield turnover (out of bounds lost ball) | ||
| 7:40 | | +2 | Mike Conley makes two point floating jump shot (Anthony Edwards assists) | 12-8 |
| 7:24 | | Anthony Edwards personal foul (Myles Turner draws the foul) | ||
| 7:16 | | T.J. McConnell misses two point pullup jump shot | ||
| 7:13 | | Karl-Anthony Towns defensive rebound | ||
| 7:04 | | Anthony Edwards misses three point jump shot | ||
| 7:01 | | Rudy Gobert offensive rebound | ||
| 6:47 | | +2 | Karl-Anthony Towns makes two point driving floating jump shot (Mike Conley assists) | 12-10 |
| 6:34 | | Bruce Brown turnover (bad pass) (Anthony Edwards steals) | ||
| 6:23 | | Anthony Edwards misses two point turnaround hook shot | ||
| 6:21 | | Myles Turner defensive rebound | ||
| 6:16 | | T.J. McConnell turnover (lost ball) (Rudy Gobert steals) | ||
| 6:12 | | Rudy Gobert turnover (out of bounds lost ball) | ||
| 6:00 | | Myles Turner misses two point turnaround fadeaway jump shot | ||
| 5:58 | | Jaden McDaniels defensive rebound | ||
| 5:50 | | Jaden McDaniels misses two point driving layup | ||
| 5:48 | | T.J. McConnell defensive rebound | ||
| 5:41 | | Karl-Anthony Towns blocks Myles Turner's two point layup | ||
| 5:38 | | Anthony Edwards defensive rebound | ||
| 5:36 | | Anthony Edwards offensive foul (Charge) (T.J. McConnell draws the foul) | ||
| 5:36 | | Anthony Edwards turnover (offensive foul) | ||
| 5:19 | | Isaiah Jackson turnover (offensive goaltending) | ||
| 4:58 | | Isaiah Jackson personal foul (Mike Conley draws the foul) | ||
| 4:54 | | Naz Reid misses three point jump shot | ||
| 4:50 | | Ben Sheppard defensive rebound | ||
| 4:43 | | Bruce Brown misses two point driving reverse layup | ||
| 4:41 | | Naz Reid defensive rebound | ||
| 4:22 | | +3 | Mike Conley makes three point jump shot (Karl-Anthony Towns assists) | 12-13 |
| 4:00 | | Bennedict Mathurin misses two point driving floating jump shot | ||
| 3:58 | | Karl-Anthony Towns defensive rebound | ||
| 3:49 | | Isaiah Jackson blocks Nickeil Alexander-Walker's two point driving layup | ||
| 3:48 | | Karl-Anthony Towns offensive rebound | ||
| 3:47 | | +2 | Karl-Anthony Towns makes two point putback layup | 12-15 |
| 3:47 | | Pacers 60 second timeout | ||
| 3:23 | | Pacers turnover (shot clock violation) | ||
| 3:10 | | +2 | Karl-Anthony Towns makes two point turnaround hook shot (Kyle Anderson assists) | 12-17 |
| 3:00 | | +2 | Bruce Brown makes two point driving layup | 14-17 |
| 2:44 | | +2 | Karl-Anthony Towns makes two point turnaround hook shot (Kyle Anderson assists) | 14-19 |
| 2:33 | | +2 | Isaiah Jackson makes two point turnaround hook shot (Bruce Brown assists) | 16-19 |
| 2:19 | | Karl-Anthony Towns misses two point jump shot | ||
| 2:19 | | Isaiah Jackson defensive rebound | ||
| 2:01 | | Bruce Brown misses three point pullup jump shot | ||
| 1:59 | | Kyle Anderson defensive rebound | ||
| 1:55 | | Kyle Anderson turnover (out of bounds bad pass) | ||
| 1:44 | | Bennedict Mathurin misses two point driving layup | ||
| 1:42 | | Nickeil Alexander-Walker defensive rebound | ||
| 1:21 | | +2 | Naz Reid makes two point driving hook shot | 16-21 |
| 1:09 | | +2 | T.J. McConnell makes two point turnaround jump shot | 18-21 |
| 0:56 | | Troy Brown Jr. misses three point jump shot | ||
| 0:55 | | Kyle Anderson offensive rebound | ||
| 0:54 | | Isaiah Jackson blocks Kyle Anderson's two point putback layup | ||
| 0:52 | | Ben Sheppard defensive rebound | ||
| 0:49 | | Nickeil Alexander-Walker kicked ball violation | ||
| 0:43 | | Ben Sheppard misses three point jump shot | ||
| 0:41 | | Naz Reid defensive rebound | ||
| 0:20 | | Ben Sheppard shooting foul (Naz Reid draws the foul) | ||
| 0:20 | | +1 | Naz Reid makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 18-22 |
| 0:20 | | +1 | Naz Reid makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 18-23 |
| 0:06 | | +2 | T.J. McConnell makes two point driving finger roll layup | 20-23 |
| 0:00 | | Nickeil Alexander-Walker turnover (lost ball) (Isaiah Jackson steals) | ||
| 0:00 | | End of period |
| Time | Team | Play | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11:43 | | T.J. McConnell misses two point pullup jump shot | ||
| 11:39 | | Isaiah Jackson offensive rebound | ||
| 11:35 | | +2 | Aaron Nesmith makes two point driving floating bank jump shot (Isaiah Jackson assists) | 22-23 |
| 11:17 | | Kyle Anderson turnover (bad pass) (Isaiah Jackson steals) | ||
| 11:14 | | Bennedict Mathurin misses two point running layup | ||
| 11:13 | | Aaron Nesmith offensive rebound | ||
| 11:13 | | +2 | Aaron Nesmith makes two point tip layup | 24-23 |
| 11:13 | | Kyle Anderson shooting foul (Bennedict Mathurin draws the foul) | ||
| 11:13 | | +1 | Aaron Nesmith makes regular free throw 1 of 1 | 25-23 |
| 10:54 | | +2 | Kyle Anderson makes two point driving layup | 25-25 |
| 10:50 | | +3 | Jarace Walker makes three point jump shot (T.J. McConnell assists) | 28-25 |
| 10:39 | | Isaiah Jackson kicked ball violation | ||
| 10:24 | | +2 | Anthony Edwards makes two point pullup jump shot (Kyle Anderson assists) | 28-27 |
| 10:13 | | Bennedict Mathurin misses two point driving floating jump shot | ||
| 10:10 | | Timberwolves defensive rebound | ||
| 9:53 | | Naz Reid misses three point jump shot | ||
| 9:49 | | Isaiah Jackson defensive rebound | ||
| 9:27 | | Pacers turnover (shot clock violation) | ||
| 9:19 | | Isaiah Jackson shooting foul (Rudy Gobert draws the foul) | ||
| 9:19 | | +1 | Rudy Gobert makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 28-28 |
| 9:19 | | Rudy Gobert misses regular free throw 2 of 2 | ||
| 9:17 | | Jarace Walker defensive rebound | ||
| 9:10 | | +2 | T.J. McConnell makes two point driving layup | 30-28 |
| 8:56 | | Rudy Gobert turnover (bad pass) (T.J. McConnell steals) | ||
| 8:52 | | +2 | Aaron Nesmith makes two point running layup (Isaiah Jackson assists) | 32-28 |
| 8:35 | | +2 | Karl-Anthony Towns makes two point turnaround hook shot (Kyle Anderson assists) | 32-30 |
| 8:35 | | Isaiah Jackson defensive goaltending violation | ||
| 8:16 | | +2 | Isaiah Jackson makes two point cutting dunk (Bennedict Mathurin assists) | 34-30 |
| 7:49 | | Rudy Gobert misses two point layup | ||
| 7:47 | | Karl-Anthony Towns offensive rebound | ||
| 7:47 | | +2 | Karl-Anthony Towns makes two point tip layup | 34-32 |
| 7:30 | | +2 | Bennedict Mathurin makes two point pullup jump shot | 36-32 |
| 7:15 | | Jarace Walker personal foul (Rudy Gobert draws the foul) | ||
| 7:08 | | +3 | Jaden McDaniels makes three point jump shot (Anthony Edwards assists) | 36-35 |
| 6:49 | | +2 | Bennedict Mathurin makes two point driving floating jump shot | 38-35 |
| 6:36 | | +2 | Karl-Anthony Towns makes two point layup (Mike Conley assists) | 38-37 |
| 6:23 | | +2 | Isaiah Jackson makes two point cutting dunk (Jarace Walker assists) | 40-37 |
| 6:06 | | Aaron Nesmith shooting foul (Anthony Edwards draws the foul) | ||
| 6:06 | | Timberwolves 60 second timeout | ||
| 6:06 | | +1 | Anthony Edwards makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 40-38 |
| 6:06 | | +1 | Anthony Edwards makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 40-39 |
| 5:46 | | +3 | Aaron Nesmith makes three point jump shot (Bennedict Mathurin assists) | 43-39 |
| 5:31 | | +2 | Rudy Gobert makes two point alley-oop dunk (Mike Conley assists) | 43-41 |
| 5:13 | | Bruce Brown misses two point driving floating jump shot | ||
| 5:10 | | Bruce Brown offensive rebound | ||
| 5:10 | | +2 | Bruce Brown makes two point putback layup | 45-41 |
| 4:54 | | Karl-Anthony Towns misses two point driving floating jump shot | ||
| 4:51 | | Myles Turner defensive rebound | ||
| 4:39 | | +2 | Bruce Brown makes two point driving layup (Bennedict Mathurin assists) | 47-41 |
| 4:23 | | Bruce Brown shooting foul (Rudy Gobert draws the foul) | ||
| 4:23 | | Rudy Gobert misses regular free throw 1 of 2 | ||
| 4:23 | | Timberwolves offensive rebound | ||
| 4:23 | | Rudy Gobert misses regular free throw 2 of 2 | ||
| 4:23 | | Pacers defensive rebound | ||
| 4:10 | | Jaden McDaniels personal foul (Myles Turner draws the foul) | ||
| 4:05 | | Bennedict Mathurin misses two point pullup jump shot | ||
| 4:02 | | Karl-Anthony Towns defensive rebound | ||
| 3:44 | | +3 | Anthony Edwards makes three point jump shot (Mike Conley assists) | 47-44 |
| 3:42 | | Pacers 60 second timeout | ||
| 3:26 | | +2 | Bruce Brown makes two point driving layup (Buddy Hield assists) | 49-44 |
| 3:05 | | +3 | Anthony Edwards makes three point pullup jump shot | 49-47 |
| 2:51 | | Karl-Anthony Towns shooting foul (Myles Turner draws the foul) | ||
| 2:51 | | +1 | Myles Turner makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 50-47 |
| 2:51 | | +1 | Myles Turner makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 51-47 |
| 2:39 | | +3 | Anthony Edwards makes three point jump shot (Karl-Anthony Towns assists) | 51-50 |
| 2:16 | | Bruce Brown turnover (lost ball) (Karl-Anthony Towns steals) | ||
| 2:07 | | Mike Conley misses three point jump shot | ||
| 2:04 | | Jarace Walker defensive rebound | ||
| 1:58 | | +3 | Aaron Nesmith makes three point jump shot (Bruce Brown assists) | 54-50 |
| 1:28 | | +2 | Jaden McDaniels makes two point fadeaway bank jump shot | 54-52 |
| 1:14 | | Karl-Anthony Towns kicked ball violation | ||
| 1:09 | | Buddy Hield turnover (lost ball) (Karl-Anthony Towns steals) | ||
| 1:02 | | +3 | Anthony Edwards makes three point running pullup jump shot | 54-55 |
| 0:54 | | Jaden McDaniels personal foul (Bruce Brown draws the foul) | ||
| 0:42 | | Kyle Anderson shooting foul (Myles Turner draws the foul) | ||
| 0:42 | | Myles Turner misses regular free throw 1 of 2 | ||
| 0:42 | | Pacers offensive rebound | ||
| 0:42 | | +1 | Myles Turner makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 55-55 |
| 0:33 | | Anthony Edwards misses two point turnaround fadeaway jump shot | ||
| 0:30 | | Bruce Brown defensive rebound | ||
| 0:17 | | Myles Turner offensive foul (Kyle Anderson draws the foul) | ||
| 0:17 | | Myles Turner turnover (offensive foul) | ||
| 0:02 | | +2 | Anthony Edwards makes two point driving reverse layup (Mike Conley assists) | 55-57 |
| 0:00 | | End of period |