Pacers 107, Timberwolves 103
INDIANAPOLIS -- Forward Paul George continued his torrid surge with 29 points and guard Monta Ellis added 24 as the Indiana Pacers built a big lead but had to hang on to win their third in a row, 107-103 over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.
George scored at least 26 points for the sixth consecutive game, joining forward Billy Knight, forward Danny Granger and guard Reggie Miller as the only Pacers players to do so. Knight has the franchise's longest such streak at 10 games.
Ian Mahinmi had 12 points and nine rebounds and Glenn Robinson III scored a career-high 11 off the bench against his former team as Indiana (6-4) won for the sixth time in seven games after starting the season 0-3.
Playing their fourth game in five nights -- and second in a row without injured point guard Ricky Rubio (hamstring) -- against a revamped Indiana lineup that plays with more defensive pressure and a faster offensive tempo, the Timberwolves (4-5) fell into a 27-point hole in the third quarter before finding their stride behind point guard Andre Miller.
The veteran scored all 10 of his points in a 30-7 run that cut Indiana's lead to 94-90 with 4:32 left, setting up a dramatic finish. A layup by guard Andrew Wiggins cut it to 101-100 with 1:18 remaining, but Ellis drove left for a layup and then blocked Miller's post-up attempt at the other end, leading to a free throw by forward C.J. Miles that made it a four-point game and effectively quell the visitors' last threat.
Wiggins and guard Zach LaVine scored 26 apiece for the Timberwolves. Center Karl-Anthony Towns had 12 points and nine rebounds, falling just short of his seventh double-double. Forward Nemanja Bjelica scored 10 off the bench.
For the first time in nine games, the home team won in a Minnesota game. The Timberwolves had won their first four on the road, while losing their first four at home.
After a hot-shooting second quarter built an 11-point halftime lead, the Pacers kept rolling out of the locker room. With all five second-half starters scoring, Indiana put together a dominating 21-6 run to push the advantage to 87-60 late in the third period. The Pacers hit seven of their first nine shots in the second half to build upon their first-half momentum.
Indiana made all five of its 3-point attempts in the second quarter, including three during a 17-2 run that built a 55-42 lead. The Pacers shot .636 in the period to take a 61-50 lead into the break.
The only negative for the home team in the period was the loss of temporary Miles, who took a blow to the forehead with 3:55 left in the half, but passed the NBA-mandated concussion test at halftime and returned to the game midway through the third period.
NOTES: Indiana was without two key reserves, G Rodney Stuckey (sprained R ankle) and C Myles Turner (chip fracture, L thumb). The team's leading bench scorer (10.1), Stuckey has missed two in a row and three of four. ... Turner, the first-round pick who averaged 6.1 points and 2.9 rebounds in his first eight games, will miss at least a month. Veteran Jordan Hill (9.1 points, 8.3 rebounds) iinherits the backup role behind starting C Ian Mahinmi. ... Minnesota's starting PG, Ricky Rubio, was inactive with a sore hamstring and missed his second game in a row. Zach LaVine filled in as the starter ... The Timberwolves also were without center Nikola Pekovic, still recovering from Achilles tendon surgery. ... This was the fourth game in five nights for the Timberwolves. ... Indiana entered the game 16-8 all-time on Friday the 13th, the third-best winning percentage (.667) of all NBA teams. San Antonio (9-4, .692) leads the way.