The Minnesota Timberwolves defeated the Indiana Pacers in a needed 124-104 victory on Tuesday night.
Ayo Dosunmu led the Timberwolves with 24 points, while Julius Randle and Bones Hyland each added 19, as Minnesota avoided the Western Conference’s play-in tournament, clinching the top-six seed.
Minnesota also won without superstar Anthony Edwards and Jayden McDaniels.
Edwards has missed nine of their last 11 games with a bad right knee, this time on the front end of a back-to-back, while McDaniels missed his sixth straight game with an injured left knee.
On the other hand, Ethan Thompson led the Pacers with 17 points, and Obi Toppin and Jalen Slawson each had 14 points.
The league’s second-worst team lost its third straight and fell to 4-22 in its last 26 games. Indiana still needs two wins to avoid posting the lowest single-season victory total in the franchise’s NBA history.
The Timberwolves took a double-digit lead late in the first, and still led 63-53 at the half and extended the margin to 73-55 early in the third.
Indiana tried to cut the lead o 77-67 with six straight points midway through the third, but Minnesota closed the quarter on a 25-5 run that made it 102-77 and sealed the victory.
Up next: the Timberwolves visit Orlando on Wednesday, while the Pacers visit Brooklyn on Thursday.
