Malcolm Brogdon nailed a tiebreaking 15-footer with 18.7 seconds left and T.J. Warren scored a game-high 28 points Friday night as the host Indiana Pacers spoiled the return of Karl-Anthony Towns with a 116-114 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves in Indianapolis.
The win allowed Indiana to sweep a tightly contested home-and-home series. The Pacers won 104-99 at Minnesota on Wednesday in a game Towns missed with an illness to continue a string of 15 straight absences after earlier having suffered a knee injury.
The All-Star center had a team-high 27 points in 28 minutes in his first game since Dec. 13, and was still producing with 1:48 remaining when his two free throws pulled Minnesota into a 114-all tie.
But with the score still tied, Towns committed an out-of-bounds turnover with 1:16 to go and teammate Andrew Wiggins had a similar miscue with 31.3 seconds left, setting up Brogdon's game-winner.
The Timberwolves had a chance to tie after Brogdon's clutch hoop, but Shabazz Napier misfired with nine seconds remaining.
The Timberwolves' Robert Covington managed to tie up Warren for a jump ball as they battled for the rebound, but the Pacers were able to run out the clock after Warren controlled the tap.
Brogdon finished with a 12-point, 10-assist double-double.
The Pacers led for almost the entire first 46 minutes, going up by as many as 11 in the second quarter. They finished each of the first three periods with a six-point lead.
A hoop by Aaron Holiday with 8:12 remaining allowed the Pacers to match their largest lead at 107-96, before the Timberwolves rallied.
Warren hit 11 of his 18 shots for the Pacers, who outshot the Timberwolves 56.1 percent to 45.5.
Jeremy Lamb chipped in with 18 points, Doug McDermott had 13 points and a team-high eight rebounds, and Holiday scored 13 points for Indiana, which won its fourth straight.
Towns' 27 points included three 3-pointers, helping the Timberwolves, who dropped their fourth in a row, to run up a 51-24 advantage in scoring from behind the line.
Wiggins backed Towns with 22 points, while Josh Okogie had 15, Jarrett Culver 12, Napier 12 to go with a team-high nine assists, and Covington nine to complement a game-high 10 rebounds.
--Field Level Media
Minnesota | Indiana | |
Karl-Anthony Towns 27 | Scoring | T.J. Warren 28 |
Shabazz Napier 9 | Assists | Malcolm Brogdon 10 |
Robert Covington 10 | Rebounds | Doug McDermott 8 |
Karl-Anthony Towns 6 | Free Throws Made | Myles Turner 6 |
Robert Covington 1 | Steals | Jeremy Lamb 2 |
Jarrett Culver 1 | Blocks | Myles Turner 3 |
Team | Points | FG% | 3PM-3PA | FTM-FTA | Assists | Rebounds | Blocks | Steals | Turnovers |
Minnesota | 114 | 45.5 | 17-39 | 17-21 | 22 | 36 | 1 | 4 | 13 |
Indiana | 116 | 56.1 | 8-24 | 16-20 | 24 | 41 | 8 | 4 | 13 |