The Pacers' Domantas Sabonis scored 25 of his 29 points in the first half while Malcolm Brogdon helped carry Indiana to the finish line with 21 points. Karl-Anthony Towns missed his 15th game.
Both Timberwolves coach Ryan Saunders and Pacers coach Nate McMillan said they were going to handle the home-and-home series their teams face Wednesday and Friday like a playoff series.
Wednesday hardly resembled a playoff game at Target Center, given the number of empty seats and the fact that both teams’ best players – Karl-Anthony Towns and Victor Oladipo – were both out.