Timberwolves basketball is back at Target Center.
For the first time since the 2025 Western Conference Finals, the Minnesota Timberwolves took the floor in downtown Minneapolis with actual stakes attached to the game. The crowd was electric right from the opening tip as Wolves fans waited patiently through the long offseason.
There were a lot of new aspects of the home opener for fans to enjoy. It was the first game with the new throwback black tree jerseys and court that they will be wearing throughout 21 home games this season. It was also the first game with the new updated [theater-style lighting](https://www.nba.com/timberwolves/news/timberwolves-unveil-new-stage-lighting-at-target-center-as-part-of-continued-emphasis-on-a-world-class-fan-experience), which greatly improves the feel for fans inside the arena.
The Indiana Pacers were without a laundry list of players, including Tyrese Haliburton, Bennedict Mathurin, T.J. McConnell, Andrew Nembhard, and Johnny Furphy. It’s not the first time in recent memory that the Pacers have come into Target Center severely underhanded, as last year in March, Indy took down the Wolves with a similar injury list.
Wolves fans know well that just because the opposing team is missing a large contingent of players, it does not make for an automatic win. That’s especially true with Obi Toppin on the other side, as he scored 34 points in that game from a year ago.
Minnesota played well to open the game, taking an early eight-point lead, but just three minutes into the game, Anthony Edwards left the game with right hamstring tightness and did not return to the game.
With Edwards out, Julius Randle took on the bulk of the scoring responsibility, putting up 20 points on 7-11 shooting in the first half. The rest of the Wolves struggled to put the ball in the basket, though, combining for only 38 points while making only 13 of their 35 shots from the field. The Wolves would trail 60-58 at halftime.
With the Wolves able to reset their rotations at the break, they elected to move Mike Conley into the starting group, allowing Donte DiVincenzo to go back to his more natural position off the ball.
In the third quarter, Minnesota’s defense stepped up, holding Indiana to just 17 points in the frame. The increased pressure on that end of the floor allowed the Wolves to finally get some separation on the scoreboard as they took a game-high nine-point lead on a Bones Hyland 3-pointer.
To the surprise of no one, the Pacers would not back down as Pascal Siakam scored seven early fourth-quarter points to cut the Wolves’ lead down to four. The rest of the quarter had a lot of white-knuckling from the patrons at Target Center as the Indiana would not go away.
Just when it felt like the Wolves were salting away a win with a Rudy Gobert layup to go up five, a Conley turnover and a Siakam 3-pointer put the Pacers within two with under a minute left. After a crazy sequence, the ball ended up with Jaden McDaniels, who laid the ball in to give the Wolves a four-point lead.
After a pair of missed Pacer free throws, the Wolves secured a 112-108 victory. Randle was sensational with 31 points on 11-18 shooting with six assists and four rebounds. The Pacers had no answer for him defensively with Randle in control of the Minnesota offense. Siakam played great for the undermanned Pacers with 33 points, ten rebounds, and eight assists.
The Timberwolves have their first back-to-back of the season as they take on the Denver Nuggets tomorrow night at Target Center, with Edwards’ status for the game up in the air. The game begins at 8:30 PM CT, airing solely on Peacock.
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