Obi Toppin would not let the severely short-handed Pacers leave Minneapolis without a dub.
After the Pacers beat the Timberwolves, 132-130 in overtime on Monday, to complete their three-game road trip with a 2-1 record, theclips from the victorious locker room made it appear the Pacers may not need a plane to return to Indy.
They were flying high after swiping a win against the hottest team in the NBA while playing without Pascal Siakam, Tyrese Haliburton, Myles Turner and Aaron Nesmith. The sole remaining starter was carrying a heavy load until he engaged with Rudy Gobert to get tossed in the third quarter. Later in the fourth quarter, Benn Mathurin fouled out after scoring 22 points.
But Obi Toppin was available.
The Pacers high-flying reserve forward made sure his fellow reserve teammates wouldn’t give in to the Timberwolves in the second half. The Pacers took a 14 point lead to the break, but after losing Nembhard, Minny kicked things into gear and appeared ready to ride Anthony Edwards to a ninth consecutive win, surging to a 10-point lead early in the fourth quarter.
Obi said, nah.
Toppin scored 34 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and made a career-high 7 three-pointers, including four in overtime. Oh, and that fourth one? Simply a corner three flying to his left with three seconds remaining. Every bit as shocking as the 3-point and 1 Haliburton hit against the Bucks. Suddenly, the win was in play and when Thomas Bryant let his length defend Julius Randle’s final shot to tie, the ball bounced short.
There was a half-beat pause on the floor and the broadcast…then reality hit. They did it! The Pacers, with so much firepower in street clothes, went into Minnesota and earned and impressive win.
Recent wins over the Rockets and Bucks at home were so entertaining and fun to watch. But this took those feelings to another level. With so many opportunities to let go of the rope and be rewarded with a ‘nice try’ this group with Toppin and TJ McConnell leading the way late, just kept fighting and believing. No doubt this win makes up for the infamous loss to Charlotte back in December.
Along with McConnell and Toppin, the remaining reserves all made an impact. Other than Toppin, none played a clean game, but there is no denying the effort they put forth despite some mistakes. But Bryant had the strong final defensive possession and a big corner three in OT, after missing several threes earlier.
Tony Bradley was great off the bench, finishing with 12 points and 9 rebounds in 20 minutes. Quenten Jackson was pressed into action after Nembhard was tossed, playing 18 minutes and finishing with 13 points. Q had a couple of sweet dunks including a monster jam after a steal and run out.
Jarace Walker didn’t have a strong overall showing, mainly due to five turnovers which included a few head scratching pass attempts. He saw an open man but was late or off target delivering the pass. As maddening as those were, including two in the fourth quarter that helped the Wolves surge, Walker did have his positive moments, finishing with 13 points and 5 rebounds.
Finally, Enrique Freeman made an impact without being credited for any playing time, although he did play about 10 seconds. After Nembhard was tossed, Minny hand picked the rook to take the free throw in a technical-type situation. Freeman loosened up quickly and knocked down both shots to the excitement of his teammates. It was the type of moment that only happens in the type of win the Pacers secured.
All of those little contributions from the tail end of the roster added up to a bunch of winning plays and Toppin took it from there in OT, battling Ant Edwards who had 38 points, throughout crunch time. Toppin ended up playing 45 minutes and said after the game he was ready to keep going.
Now what
The Pacers return home to take on the Mavericks on Wednesday night in the first of five consecutive games at the Fieldhouse. The schedule sets up well for the remainder of the season, assuming the health of the team doesn’t become an issue. Jarace Walker tweaked his ankle late in the game and is questionable for Wednesday. Pascal Siakam has been upgraded to questionable along with Tyrese Haliburton. It appears Myles Turner and Aaron Nesmith are good to go with neither on the injury report.
The Pacers will play three games in four days, including a back-to-back with Brooklyn in town on Thursday for the first of two games at the Fieldhouse. But first the tragically short-handed Mavericks will be at the Fieldhouse. Needless to say, the Pacers better be ready for anything from the Mavs in this one.
Pacers vs. Mavericks
**Where:**Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, IN
When: Wednesday, Mar. 19, 2025, 7:00 p.m. ET
TV: FanDuel Sports Network
Radio: 93.5/107.5 The Fan
Odds: Pacers -8
Projected Starters
Pacers: Tyrese Haliburton, Andrew Nembhard, Aaron Nesmith, Pascal Siakam, Myles Turner
Mavericks: Brandon Williams, Klay Thompson, Naji Marshall, PJ Washington, Kessler Edwards
Injuries
Pacers: Johnny Furphy (illness) - questionable, Tyrese Haliburton (lower back) - questionable, Pascal Siakam (personal reasons) - questionable, Jarace Walker (ankle) - questionable, Isaiah Jackson (Achilles) - out
Mavericks: Jaden Hardy (ankle) - questionable, Kai Jones (quad) - questionable, Brandon Williams (hamstring) - questionable, Anthony Davis (thigh) - out, Dante Exum (left hand) - out, Daniel Gafford (knee) - out, Kyrie Irving (knee) - out, Dereck Lively II (ankle) - out, Caleb Martin (hip) - out, Olivier-Maxence Prosper (wrist) - out
Indy Cornrows with Tom Lewis is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.