The first quarter is a real offensive festival. The baskets are linked and the score climbs quickly on both sides. Among the Wolves, the mark is well distributed since all the holders register at least one basket, while on the side of the Pacers, it is the unexpected Oshae Brissett who guides his team with 11 points. Off the bench, Lance Stephenson pleases his audience with fantastic actions, and especially 8 points and 2 assists. After 12 hard-fought minutes, the Pacers have a narrow lead (37-33).
But the Wolves will quickly recover at the start of the second quarter. Discreet at the start of the game, Anthony Edwards warmed up and scored 8 consecutive points to give control to his team (41-39), and this forced a time-out from Indiana. In reality, the heat of the “sophomore” initiates a “run” of Wolves, who press the accelerator and sign the first break of the meeting a few minutes later (54-44).
The “momentum” has completely changed and despite a brief reaction from the Pacers, still under the impetus of Brissett and Stephenson, and above all of a divine Tyrese Haliburton in the distribution (10 assists), Rick Carlisle’s men clearly give ground . And at halftime, they are led by 12 points (74-62), the widest gap of the match.
The third quarter gave Wolves cold sweats. While they had displayed a flamboyant face in attack during the previous quarter, they completely lost their bearings when they returned from the locker room: only 28 points scored at 9/24 on shots, a low 38%. Opposite, the Pacers are on fire: 36 points to 58% (14/24)! After 36 minutes, however, Wolves remain in front with a very short header (102-98), largely thanks to a huge Edwards, who planted 15 points in the quarter.
The final act saw Wolves finally regain control of the match quite easily. While Karl-Anthony Towns is hampered by foul issues, it’s D’Angelo Russell who takes matters into his own hands.
The leader scored 11 points and allowed his troop to catch some air. Despite all the efforts of a huge Tyrese Haliburton, the Pacers can no longer close the gap, and Anthony Edwards ends up killing all the hopes of his opponents with an “and-one” 2 minutes from the end of the game which increases the gap to +9. This will be the final gap, and the Pacers lose a sixth consecutive game.
WHAT YOU MUST REMEMBER
– Anthony Edwards makes NBA history. By a basket during the first quarter, his first of the game, “Ant” became the 4th youngest player in NBA history reach the 2,500 career points mark. Above all, he was the best player on the field, with a game with 37 points (13/25, 7/13 behind the arc), 5 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 steals. Discreet during the first quarter, he then caught fire until the end of the meeting, and we will remember this huge dunk before the break.
– Chris Duarte’s quick exit through injury. Briefly seen during the first quarter, then absent from the second, the Pacers rookie left his teammates prematurely. The reason : pain in one toe of the left foot.
TOPS/FLOPS
✅ Jalen Smith. The young interior is having a solid second game after a successful debut against the Hawks. Off the bench, he made a very strong double-double: 17 points (6/10) and 12 rebounds. Bridled at the Suns, it did not take long to burst into the open in Indiana.
✅ D’Angelo Russell. Quite discreet in the first half, when Anthony Edwards was gaining momentum, “D-Lo” then raised his voice in the second half, particularly during the last quarter. While the Pacers had returned to -4, the point guard chained several baskets to repel them and blow his team away. He concludes the match with 23 points at 8/14, and 6 assists.
✅ Tyrese Haliburton. For his second game with Indiana, the point guard delivered one of the best performances of his career. Exceptional in creation (16 assists), he also torpedoed Wolves from afar (6/12) and finished with 22 points (7/14). In this reworked and rejuvenated workforce at the “deadline”, he is undoubtedly the most important player. A true conductor on the floor.
⛔️ Buddy Hield. The back was in one of those complicated evenings for a shooter. He finished with 13 points on… 19 shots, including an appalling 1/13 from behind the arc. Yet often well served by his leader Haliburton, he was simply not having a good night and got bogged down in his clumsiness.
⛔️ Karl Anthony Towns. Despite a double-double (15 points and 13 rebounds), difficult to place “KAT” in the “Tops” category. First, because he got tangled up in attack (6 lost balls) and then because he committed 5 faults in… 22 minutes. Certainly not spared by a fairly passive refereeing treatment towards him, he quickly became frustrated and this resulted in a disjointed match on his part. Nothing better than a victory for Wolves to forget this painful evening.
THE FOLLOWING
Indiana (19-38): trip to Milwaukee Monday
Minnesota (29-27): reception of the Hornets on Monday
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