The Minnesota Timberwolves already have established a season high with eight victories in a row as the postseason approaches.
Now, the Timberwolves are greedy for more.
Minnesota (40-29) will try to extend its winning streak on Monday night when it tips off against the Indiana Pacers (37-29) in Minneapolis.
The Timberwolves will play on short rest after cruising to a 128-102 home win over the Utah Jazz on Sunday night. It marked the sixth victory that has come by double digits during the team’s eight-game winning streak.
Anthony Edwards reached third all-time in scoring in Timberwolves’ history with his 41-point performance Sunday. He now has 8,731 points in five seasons, passing Andrew Wiggins (8,710). Kevin Garnett tops the list with 19,201, and Karl-Anthony Towns is second at 13,121.
“It’s impressive,” Edwards said. “I’m not going to lie — I never knew where I was on the list. I never even knew I was top five. Yeah, that’s impressive. I was super happy when I heard it.”
Meanwhile, the Pacers are looking to bounce back from a 126-119 loss on the road against the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday night. The setback snapped a two-game winning streak for Indiana, which beat the Bucks and the Philadelphia 76ers before falling short in the rematch against Milwaukee.
Pascal Siakam leads Indiana with averages of 20.9 points and 7.2 rebounds per game. He is shooting 52.6 percent from the field and 39.6 percent from 3-point range.
Tyrese Haliburton ranks second on the Pacers with 18.5 points per contest. Bennedict Mathurin (15.9) and Myles Turner (15.5) round out the top four scorers.
Siakam will miss Monday’s game because of personal reasons, the Pacers announced on their social-media channels Sunday. Haliburton (back), Turner (hip) and Aaron Nesmith (ankle) are listed as questionable.
Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said he is eager to see his team perform better after its defeat against Milwaukee. He said he deserved at least part of the blame for the loss, in which he might have made too many substitutions at the same time.
“I know we’re certainly capable of better,” Carlisle said. “We’re going to have to look at it and fix it.”
The Timberwolves feature a half-dozen players who are scoring in double digits. Edwards leads the group with 27.2 points per game, and Randle ranks second with 18.9.
Naz Reid (14.6) and Jaden McDaniels (12.7) finish the top four in scoring. Rudy Gobert is averaging a double-double with 11.1 points and 10.4 rebounds.
This will be the first of two regular-season matchups between the Timberwolves and Pacers during the regular season. They also are scheduled to meet March 24 in Indianapolis.
Edwards said it was up to him and his teammates to determine when to try a 3-pointer and when to drive to the rim.
“You just take what the defense gives us,” he said. “For me, if I come off and I’ve got any space, I’m shooting a 3. If I come off and they’re stepping up, I’m going to get downhill. And I feel like the same is true for my teammates. If they’re catching us and they’ve got a little room, it’s a 0.5 (second) mentality. It’s either shoot, pass it or drive it.”
–Field Level Media
