Ellis, Pacers Push Past Timberwolves 102-88
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Monta Ellis had 22 points and six rebounds to help the Indiana Pacers overcome a fourth-quarter deficit and beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 102-88 on Saturday night.
Paul George finished with 18 points on 7-of-16 shooting for Indiana, but he had eight points in the fourth. Jordan Hill scored 12 points off the bench as the Pacers snapped a three-game skid.
Karl-Anthony Towns had 24 points and eight rebounds for Minnesota, which has lost three in a row. Ricky Rubio finished with 15 points, nine assists and five rebounds for the Timberwolves.
Indiana, the league's fourth-best 3-point shooting team, was 3 of 17 on 3s through three quarters before hitting 6 of 9 in the fourth.
Both teams were mistake prone, combining for 45 turnovers. The Pacers' lethargic start included five turnovers in the first five minutes with two shot-clock violations.
With Ellis taking over, Indiana erased Minnesota's largest lead of seven points in the closing minute of the third and first few minutes of the fourth with a 16-2 run. The Timberwolves cut the lead to 86-84 on Rubio's 3, but George and Rodney Stuckey hit back-to-back 3s and the Pacers didn't look back.
TIP-INS
Pacers: Stuckey briefly left the game in the first period with a sprained right ankle. . Indiana coach Frank Vogel went back to his smaller starting lineup for the second straight game with George and C.J. Miles starting at forward with Lavoy Allen coming off the bench. . Off the bench, Jordan Hill has scored double figures in 10 of his past 13 games.
Timberwolves: Kevin Martin didn't play for the second consecutive game. Martin has been a healthy spectator as Minnesota has used LaVine at shooting guard with rookie Tyus Jones getting his most extensive action of the season. . Towns had 12 points in the first quarter, his second double-digit scoring first quarter of the season. The two occasions have been in the past three games.
UP NEXT
Pacers: host Atlanta on Monday.
Timberwolves: visit San Antonio on Tuesday.
(© Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
