This marks the second game of a back-to-back for the Timberwolves, as they played the Golden State Warriors at home on Thursday night. It also marks the fourth game in five days for the Wolves.
As of Nov. 12 at 2:48 p.m., the Wolves sit at 4-3 overall, good for fifth place in the Western Conference.
The Indiana Pacers sit in seventh place in the East with a 5-4 record.
A few tidbits going into Friday night’s game:
The Wolves play on Thursday night at home against the Golden State Warriors. This will be updated accordingly.
The Pacers are coming off of a 102-91 road win over the Boston Celtics on Wednesday night. Paul George led the way with 26 points and 10 rebounds while starting at power forward. C.J. Miles added 17, while Monta Ellis put up 13. Hill led the second unit with 12 points and eight rebounds. Ian Mahinmi and Budinger scored 11 and 10 points, respectively.
Indiana forced Boston to shoot just 41.6 percent from the field.
The Pacers and Wolves split the two-game series last season. Minnesota last won on Jan. 13 in Indiana. You might remember this game as the “Mo Williams Game.” The former Wolves point guard scored a franchise and career-high 52 points, shooting 19-for-33 from the field, 6-for-11 from the 3-point line and 8-for-9 from the free-throw line.
Here’s a refresher on just how incredible his night was.
Andrew Wiggins added 20 points, six rebounds and four steals. Thaddeus Young scored 11, while Gorgui Dieng scored 10 points and hauled in 10 rebounds.
Miles led Indiana with 22 points, but shot just 2-for-10 from the 3-point line. The other C.J., Watson, finished with 17 points. Rodney Stuckey and Luis Scola led the second unit with 13 and 11 points, respectively. David West has 12 points, six rebounds, and four assists but turned the ball over five times.
We aren’t completely sure who will start at power forward for the Timberwolves. It likely won’t be Kevin Garnett, who is expected to sit out the second game of all back-to-backs this season. On Tuesday against Charlotte, Sam Mitchell surprisingly started Adreian Payne over Bjelica. Bjelica will get his minutes, though. The rookie is averaging 28.7 minutes per game to go with 8.9 points and 7.4 rebounds. He’s also shooting 44.4 percent from the 3-point line.
He’s had trouble with fouls, though, averaging 3.9 per 36 minutes. That could be an issue for him against a dangerous player such as George, who is playing power forward for the first time in his career.
After missing 76 games last season due to a broken leg, George has gotten off to a hot start this season. He’s averaging 23.8 points, 8.8 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game while shooting 35.2 percent from the 3-point line.
It’s probably Bjelica’s toughest matchup thus far. We’ll see how he fairs.
Pacers: Stuckey (ankle) and Myles Turner (thumb) are questionable.
Wolves: Nikola Pekovic (Achilles) is out.
Pacers: PG- Hill, SG – Ellis, SF – Miles, PF – George, C – Mahinmi
Wolves: PG- Rubio, SG- Wiggins, SF- Prince, PF- Bjelica, C- Towns
