Indiana remained sizzling with a wire-to-wire win over the Timberwolves on Monday night time.
The Pacers (42-29, fourth in Jap Convention) defeated the Timberwolves (41-32, eighth in Western Convention), 119-103, for his or her fifth consecutive victory and seventh of their final eight video games.
Pacers two-time All-Star guard Tyrese Haliburton led all scorers with 24 factors on 9-of-16 taking pictures. He added 11 assists for his thirteenth recreation with a minimum of 20 factors and 10 assists this season, the league’s sixth-most. (h/t Stathead)
The win moved Indiana 1.5 video games forward of the Bucks (40-30, fifth in Jap Convention) for home-court benefit within the first spherical of the playoffs.
Final 12 months, the Pacers completed the common season sixth within the East standings and reached the convention finals. After a rocky begin to 2024-25 that noticed Indiana go 10-15 in its first 25 video games and enter 2025 with a dropping report (16-18), the group is lastly resembling the one which went on final 12 months’s deep run.
Haliburton has been notably essential to the turnaround. He had a sluggish begin however has picked issues up not too long ago.
In his first 42 video games, Haliburton shot 44.4 p.c (35.5 p.c on three-point makes an attempt) and averaged 17.9 factors. Since Jan. 23 (22 video games), Haliburton has averaged 19.7 factors on 51 p.c taking pictures, together with 44.7 p.c from deep.
Haliburton has recorded a minimum of 10 assists in his final 11 begins, the most in the NBA since his 11 consecutive final season from December 15, 2023, by January 5, 2024.
With the win over Minnesota, the Pacers improved to 17-13 in opposition to groups at present with a .500 win proportion or higher. According to Stathead, that’s fifth-best within the league, trailing the Thunder (.771), Cavs (.742), Celtics (.636) and Lakers (.571).
Indiana received its season sequence in opposition to the Celtics (52-19, second in Jap Convention), 2-1, and has cut up its first two video games with the Cavaliers (57-14, first in Jap Convention). The groups meet for 2 video games in 4 days on April 10 and April 13.
Following its tough begin, Indiana appeared prefer it might need been a flash within the pan. As a substitute, it’s surging on the proper time and seems as if it might spoil both of Cleveland’s or Boston’s wonderful seasons.
