After a five-game losing streak, the frustrating Pacers regained their momentum at home and faced the Timberwolves during their two-game losing streak.
In terms of the Pacers, head coach Carlisle lined up, and whether the team can defend the home court, the two new signings Harry Burton + Hield, obviously need to play.
On the other hand, on the Timberwolves side, the main players are pouring out of the nest, and the Timberwolves are also ready to do a lot of work on the road, taking away the victory to end the losing streak!
Finally, after four quarters of playing, with a wave of 13-0 scoring climax, the timberwolves, who were dominated by the opponents, completely suppressed the Pacers in the first half and achieved a double-digit lead.
Although after returning from the second half, Halliburton + Hield + Jaylen Smith felt hot in the third quarter and led the Pacers to a 20-6 counterattack frenzy, successfully narrowing the point difference to single digits.
But helplessly in the final quarter, Russell ushered in an outbreak, and the Timberwolves took the opportunity to re-establish a 9-point advantage and completely end the suspense of the game.
The Timberwolves, who finally beat the Pacers 129-120 on the road, also gave the rival Pacers a 6-game losing streak!
On the road, the timberwolves' strength and depth began to show, and the team played as many as 7 players to score in double figures.
In the case of the main forces such as Downs + Beverley + Beverly, continuing to perform stably, the play of the two core Edwards + Russell is particularly critical!
Edwards fired 37 minutes into the game, shooting 7 three-pointers from 13 of 25 from the middle and outside lines, scoring a game-high 37 points, plus an all-around performance of 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 steals and 1 block.
Among them, his heroic performance of hitting 5 three-pointers in the third quarter not only helped the Timberwolves withstand the pacers' pressure to chase points, but also provided the team with a strong outside firepower!
More importantly, after scoring 37 points in this game, Edwards' career regular season total scores also officially broke the 2500 mark, becoming the fourth youngest player in the history of the league to achieve this achievement, setting a brilliant personal record!
Of course, the Timberwolves were able to beat the Pacers in this game, and the performance of the team's core point guard Russell was also great.
Russell was very efficient, starting 34 minutes, shooting nearly 60% of the 8-of-14 shooting, and hitting 3 three-pointers from the outside, delivering 23 points + 2 rebounds + 6 assists + 1 steal.
And his key performance of scoring 11 points in the final quarter, not only disrupted the Pacers' defensive rhythm and deployment, affected the trend of the game, but also almost single-handedly helped the Timberwolves to keep the victory!
On the other hand, the Pacers, the team was completely crushed at both ends of the offensive and defensive ends of this game, and finally swallowed a 6-game losing streak, which obviously made it difficult for home fans to accept.
But rationally speaking, for Pacers head coach Carlisle, this battle, the team is not completely unproductive!
After all, as a new signing of the team, in the case of Hilde + Tristan Thompson playing poorly, the performance of Halliburton + Jaylen Smith in this game is indeed remarkable.
Harry Burton was well-defended, shooting six three-pointers on 7-of-14 shooting in the 39 minutes of the first game, a team-high 22 points, plus a double-double with five rebounds, 16 assists and one steal.
Not only did it win on the offensive end, but it also successfully connected the pacers' entire team's offense, and once became a difficult existence for the Timberwolves to solve!
In addition, as a young player who is only 21 years old, the play of Jaylen Smith in this game is also not lacking in highlights.
Jaylen Smith was appointed on the bench for 22 minutes and contributed 17 points, 12 rebounds and 1 block on 6-of-10 shooting.
Although he failed to help the Pacers guard the home court, there is one thing to say, Jaylen Smith's brave performance of single-handedly scoring 11 points in the third quarter did cause great pressure to the Timberwolves' inside line!
Obviously, for the Pacers, who have entered the reconstruction period, the emergence of the two young players of Halliburton + Jaylen Smith has also made head coach Carlisle harvest a lot of surprises!