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Depleted Pacers tip Timberwolves 106-102
Jamaal Tinsley is making the Indiana Pacers his team. Tinsley had 20 points, 14 assists and seven rebounds to lead the suspension- and injury-depleted Pacers to a 106-102 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Thursday night.
Austin Croshere had 25 points and 11 rebounds, and Fred Jones added 17 points for the Pacers, who seem to be taking a page out of Olympic gold medalist Argentina's playbook.
The Pacers used teamwork, hustle and superior 3-point shooting to offset talent deficiencies and win for the second time in three games since Ron Artest, Jermaine O'Neal and Stephen Jackson were suspended for fighting with Detroit fans last week.
The Pacers were 13-of-25 from 3-point range, consistently beat the Timberwolves to loose balls and made the extra pass for wide open shots to pull out their second victory in three games without their top three players.
Kevin Garnett led Minnesota with 23 points and nine rebounds, and Wally Szczerbiak added 18 points.
Artest was suspended for the season, Jackson for 30 games, O'Neal for 25 and Johnson for five for their brawl with Detroit fans, who threw drinks, popcorn, a chair and other debris at Pacer players.
The Timberwolves have their own problems.
Michael Olowokandi was suspended for the game by the team after being arrested at an Indianapolis nightclub early Thursday morning.
Police used a stun gun to subdue the 7-foot center after he would not leave the club. He spent the night in jail and was charged with disorderly conduct and criminal trespassing, both misdemeanors.
"We are extremely disappointed in Michael Olowokandi's actions last night," general manager Jim Stack said in a statement. "Regardless of how the incident escalated, he never should have been in that situation."
The Pacers opened the third quarter with a 12-1 run to take a 59-46 lead and seize control of the game.
Croshere hit two 3-pointers during the spurt, one on a beautiful feed from a driving Fred Jones that brought the hometown crowd to its feet.
The Timberwolves closed the gap to 73-67 with a 7-1 run late in the period, but Indiana responded with a 3-pointer from Eddie Gill and a free throw by Tinsley, pushing the lead back to 10 points heading into the fourth.
With the Timberwolves threatening to get back into the game early in the fourth, Fred Jones drove the baseline and threw down a tomahawk dunk that whipped the crowd into a frenzy.
It was that kind of night for the Timberwolves, who surprisingly could not find a way to get reigning MVP Garnett into the offense against a ragtag group of role players and journeymen. The scrappy Pacers double- and triple-teamed Garnett most of the night, daring the other Timberwolves to beat them.
He finally got going in the fourth, scoring seven straight points for Minnesota to help close the gap to 97-92.
But the Pacers closed out the win with free throw shooting to send Minnesota to their second straight loss. |
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