Timberwolves-Pacers Preview

By ALAN FERGUSON
Posted Apr 15 2012 7:02PM

The Indiana Pacers are inching closer to securing home-court advantage for the opening round of the playoffs. A visit from the Minnesota Timberwolves could help them take another step toward to that goal.

Indiana will try to earn a fifth straight win and send the short-handed Timberwolves to a 10th consecutive loss Monday night.

The Pacers (38-22) have taken a firm grip on the No. 3 spot in the Eastern Conference by winning eight of nine. If they remain in the top four, they'll open the playoffs at home for the first time since 2004.

Indiana defeated Milwaukee 105-99 on Saturday despite not making a basket in the final 4:19. Roy Hibbert scored the team's final six points from the free-throw line and finished with 23 to lead seven Pacers in double figures.

"We did a great job of finishing our plays," guard Leandro Barbosa said. "We've been doing that for a couple of games, and that's going to be important for the playoffs."

The current four-game winning streak has been particularly impressive because starting point guard Darren Collision hasn't played due to a sore groin. He did warm up before Saturday's game, though his status for Monday remains uncertain.

The Timberwolves (25-36) have plenty of injury problems of their own and are on their longest skid since losing a franchise-worst 18 straight March 13-Dec. 30, 2011. They've played the last two without leading scorer and rebounder Kevin Love, who has no timetable to return from a concussion.

Luke Ridnour is dealing with a sprained right ankle, and Ricky Rubio is out for the season following knee surgery.

"We need some other players to step up," center Nikola Pekovic said.

In Love's absence, three Minnesota players topped 20 points against visiting Oklahoma City on Saturday, and the Timberwolves gave the Western Conference leaders a scare before losing 115-110.

J.J. Barea had 24 points, including a 3-pointer with 15.6 seconds left which got Minnesota within one, and reached double figures in assists for a third straight game with 10. Michael Beasley scored 26 points and Anthony Randolph added 22 with 11 rebounds.

"We're just out there trying to be scrappy," Beasley said. "Kevin might not be here for the rest of the season. That's 26 points, sometimes 40 points and 20 boards. Everybody has to step up and we're trying to finish this season with a bang."

Even with Love's 21 points and 17 rebounds in the first meeting of the season between these teams, Minnesota lost 109-99 at home Feb. 1. Indiana's Danny Granger scored a season-high 36 and Collison added 20.

Granger is scoring 22.8 per game in April, easily his best average of any month this season. He's averaged 26.3 points over his last three home games against Minnesota.

Minnesota is seeking just its fifth win in 22 visits to Indiana.

West leads Pacers past Timberwolves

By CLIFF BRUNT
Posted Apr 16 2012 10:33PM

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) The Indiana Pacers approached Monday night's game against the Minnesota Timberwolves as though they were facing the Chicago Bulls or the Miami Heat.

The Pacers rolled to a 25-point lead in the first 9 minutes and beat the Timberwolves 111-88 for their fifth consecutive win.

This young team is starting to get it.

"We came out with the killer instinct tonight," Pacers coach Frank Vogel said. "That set the tone for us. That's what we want to go into the playoffs with."

David West had 22 points and 10 rebounds, Danny Granger scored 19 points, Paul George had 18 and Roy Hibbert added 12 points and 11 rebounds for the Pacers, who solidified their grip on the No. 3 position in the Eastern Conference standings.

Indiana has won eight of nine games, but none of the other wins started this well. The Pacers generally have been stronger in the second half than in the first, but this time, they did the right things from the opening tip.

"I think the biggest thing is that we continue to build good habits," West said. "We're coming out and trying to make the right play every single time. I think that's imperative for us. We continue the momentum we're starting to build and hopefully, we'll be playing some of our best ball a week-and-a-half from now."

Indiana scored at least 100 points for the 10th time in 11 games.

"We've been trusting the pass," George said. "Everybody's been willing to share the ball, and we've been moving."

Jose Barea had 14 points and nine assists and reserves Michael Beasley and Derrick Williams added 13 points each for Minnesota, which lost its 10th in a row. Kevin Love, one of the league's top scorers and rebounders, sat out for the third consecutive game with a mild concussion and a neck strain.

Minnesota coach Rick Adelman said Love's injury was no excuse.

"You have to come out and compete, and we didn't compete," he said. "It's a glaring problem. We know we have injuries, but we're better than that."

The Pacers rolled to a 22-4 lead as Minnesota missed 10 of its first 11 shots.

"They came out with a lot of energy," Minnesota forward Anthony Randolph said. "They are getting ready for playoff basketball. It was just a tough loss."

Indiana made three consecutive 3-pointers to take a 55-23 lead in the second quarter. Later in the period, Indiana got six offensive rebounds on one possession before an emphatic right-handed putback dunk by George Hill put the Pacers up 59-27.

The Pacers led 64-30 at halftime as Indiana made 8 of 14 3-pointers and outrebounded Minnesota 33-23. Minnesota shot just 27.5 percent in posting its lowest-scoring half of the season.

"It's inexcusable to play the way we did in the first half," Adelman said. "They were tougher than we were. It's as simple as that. They're going to be physical and come at us, and we have to be ready to play."

Indiana maintained its lead in the third quarter behind 12 points from West. The Pacers shot 50 percent in the third quarter in taking a 93-63 lead.

A flurry by Minnesota cut Indiana's lead to 95-77 with 6:54 remaining, causing Vogel to call a timeout. The Pacers made just one of their first nine shots in the fourth quarter. The Timberwolves cut Indiana's lead to 14 points before a 3-pointer by A.J. Price pushed the Pacers' lead to 98-81 and helped the increasingly restless crowd relax.

Even with the shaky fourth quarter, West liked what he saw.

"This is the time of year where you've got to be coming together," he said. "We're fine-tuning some things we want to do offensively. Obviously, trying to be a collective unit defensively. And then, just play with a certain level of aggression, especially when you're dealing with teams that don't have anything to play for this time of year, like the Timberwolves."

The Pacers are 2 1/2 games ahead of Orlando and Atlanta for third place with five games remaining. A top three seed would give Indiana homecourt advantage in the first round of the playoffs.

"Everything we do is geared toward winning in the playoffs," Vogel said. "And the first step is getting homecourt advantage."

Notes: Former Pacers C Brad Miller entered the game in the first quarter for the Timberwolves and got a loud cheer. ... Indiana Mr. Basketball Gary Harris attended the game. He will play at Michigan State. ... Indiana PG Darren Collison played after missing the past four games with a sore groin. He went scoreless and committed three fouls in 19 minutes as a reserve. ... Minnesota shot 22.7 percent in the first quarter. ... Granger scored at least 18 points for the 12th straight game. ... It was West's second game this season with at least 20 points and 10 rebounds. ... Minnesota has allowed at least 111 points in six of the 10 losses.

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Follow Cliff Brunt on Twitter: www.twitter.com/cliffbruntap

Notebook: Pacers 111, Timberwolves 88

Posted Monday April 16, 2012 10:32PM

By Conrad Brunner, for NBA.com

THE FACTS: The Indiana Pacers have entered April like a lion. Jumping all over Minnesota from the opening tip, the Pacers built a 25-point lead in the first 8 1/2 minutes and coasted to a 111-88 rout of the lifeless Timberwolves Monday at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. Indiana led by 34 at halftime and 30 after three and gave the starters the fourth quarter off. All five scored in double figures for the 10th time this season, led by David West (22 points, 10 rebounds), Danny Granger (19 points, seven rebounds, five assists) and Paul George (18 points). Indiana held Minnesota to 37 percent shooting and dominated the boards 58-45 in rolling to their ninth win in 10 April games. At 39-22, the Pacers reduced their magic number for clinching homecourt advantage in the first round of the playoffs to three. Minnesota lost its 10th straight to fall to 25-37.

QUOTABLE: "We keep talking about regardless of who we're playing we want to play suffocating defense, the type of defense that's going to help us win in the playoffs. We definitely came out with that killer instinct tonight and really guarded them well in the first half."
-- Indiana head coach Frank Vogel.

THE STAT: Minnesota lost its 26th consecutive April game, matching the NBA record for any month. The Timberwolves have not won a game in April since 2009.

TURNING POINT: It is not an exaggeration to say the opening tip. The Pacers bolted out to an 18-2 lead in the first six minutes as Minnesota missed 10 of its first 11 shots and then ran it up to 32-7 with 3:31 left in the first quarter. Minnesota's reserves put together an 18-0 run during garbage time in the fourth quarter to cut the lead to 95-81 but a 3-pointer by A.J. Price put an end to that mild threat.

QUOTABLE II: "He's still a little passive, he still doesn't have his explosiveness. In fact he's likely going to be out (Tuesday) night (in Philadelphia). He felt like it was pulling on him all night, he didn't have the explosiveness to go by big guys in the pick-and-roll game. We're going to give it a few more days to see if we can get him feeling 100 percent."
-- Vogel on Darren Collison, who returned after missing four games with a sore groin.

HOT: West shot 9-of-14 overall and scored the Pacers' first 12 points of the second half. Roy Hibbert had his fourth consecutive double-double and 20th of the season. Granger shot 5-of-7 from the 3-point line and scored at least 18 for the 12th game in a row.

NOT: Anthony Randolph came in averaging 22 points on 59 percent shooting in his previous three games but shot 1-of-7 and scored six points. Derrick Williams shot 3-of-15, including 0-of-6 from the 3-point line, and J.J. Barea was 5-of-14.

QUOTABLE III: "I would doubt seriously if we're going to see him. If we do, it'll be the last couple of games."
-- Minnesota head coach Rick Adelman on Kevin Love, who missed his third game in a row with a concussion.

GOOD MOVE: Though Collison was back in uniform, Vogel stuck with George Hill as the starter at the point and was rewarded with another solid outing, 11 points, four assists, three rebounds and one turnover in 22 minutes. Hill has 23 assists and four turnovers in starting the last five games.

BAD MOVE: Someone must've told Minnesota rookie forward Williams he can shoot the ball, because he just kept hoisting 3-pointers. Williams missed all six attempts and is now 37-of-135 on the season (.274).

NOTABLE: Collison's return apparently will be short-lived. After playing 19 ineffective minutes off the bench, he reported discomfort in the groin and is not expected to play Tuesday in Philadelphia. ... Indiana is 9-1 when all five starters score in double figures. ... This was the fourth game this season in which the Pacers held a lead of at least 30 points. Their biggest lead has been 44 against Charlotte. ... Love did not make the trip due to concussion symptoms and missed his third consecutive game. ... The T-Wolves also were without point guard Luke Ridnour, out with a sprained right ankle. Ridnour told Adelman he expects to return before the end of the season.

UP NEXT: For the Pacers, Monday vs. Minnesota, Tuesday @ Philadelphia, Thursday vs. Milwaukee. For the Timberwolves, Tuesday vs. Memphis, Thursday @ Detroit, Sunday vs. Golden State.

• Timberwolves: Ridnour, Rubio
• Pacers: Foster, Stephenson

• Timberwolves: --
• Pacers: --

• Lead Changes: 0
• Times Tied: 0

• Arena: Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, IN
• Officials: #41 Ken Mauer, #27 Dick Bavetta, #75 Eric Dalen
• Attendance: 11845
• Duration: 2:02