Scouting Report: Wolves at Pacers

The Minnesota Timberwolves are nearing the final stretch of the regular season, and tonight’s matchup with the Indiana Pacers is the team’s second to last road trip of the year. When the two teams square off at 6 p.m. tonight at Bankers Life Fieldhouse, it will mark their second and final matchup of the season.
Each has something on the line.
For the Timberwolves, tonight is an opportunity to build off the complete game they played on Saturday against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Even in defeat—Minnesota lost 115-110 at Target Center—the Wolves battled from start to finish and put together a late rally even without injured forward Kevin Love, who missed his second straight game with a mild concussion and neck strain. A win tonight would end the team’s nine-game losing streak dating back to an 88-83 win over Charlotte on March 28.
Indiana continues to steamroll toward the postseason, and its main goal in its final six games is to fend off the Boston Celtics for the third spot in the East. The Pacers currently hold a 2.5 game advantage over the Celtics, and they’re doing their part to keep that lead recently. Indiana is 8-1 in its last nine games and is currently on a four-game winning streak. Their last win was a 105-99 victory in Milwaukee on Saturday.
The Pacers are 20-8 at home this season and are 12-5 against the Western Conference. The Wolves are 12-19 on the road. Last time out
Indiana pulled away late in a 109-99 victory over the Wolves at Target Center on Feb. 1 thanks in large part to forward Danny Granger’s big game. Granger scored 36 points and grabbed seven rebounds in the win. He hit five 3-pointers, made 13-of-15 foul shots and scored 29 of his 36 points in the second half. Guard Darren Collison added 14 points and center Roy Hibbert had 15. Wolves forward Kevin Love finished with 21 points and 17 rebounds, guard Luke Ridnour had 16 points and center Nikola Pekovic had 13 points in 30 minutes off the bench. Key matchup: Pekovic vs. Hibbert
The Pacers play physical—they showed it during a bruising game against Minnesota on Feb. 1. And no one embodies physicality on the Wolves’ roster like Pekovic, who has been a rock in the lane throughout the season. He’ll be tasked with matching up with Roy Hibbert tonight, a 7-foot-2 All-Star who certainly didn’t back down from contact against Pekovic and the Wolves last time out. Hibbert is averaging 13.6 points on 50 percent shooting and 9.2 rebounds this month. He’s coming off a 23-point, 14-rebound effort against Milwaukee on Saturday. Pekovic is averaging 13.1 points per game in April. Injury report