By MICHAEL MAROT
AP Sports Writer
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Anthony Edwards matched his season high with 44 points, made a tiebreaking 3-pointer with 1:11 remaining and came up with a spectacular block at the buzzer to give the short-handed Minnesota Timberwolves a 113-111 victory over the Indiana Pacers on Thursday night.
Edwards soared to reject a last-second layup by the Pacers’ Aaron Nesmith, hitting his head on the rim as the buzzer sounded. He yelled, flexed his muscles and chest-bumped Rudy Gobert in celebration.
Gobert added 18 points and 14 rebounds for the Timberwolves, who played without All-Star Karl-Anthony Towns. Minnesota moved into the top spot in the Western Conference, one-half game ahead of Oklahoma City.
Neither team led by more than five points over the final 20 minutes, and Edwards scored the final eight points for the Wolves.
Pascal Siakam scored 24 points and Tyrese Haliburton added 23 points and 13 assists for the Pacers, who trailed by 17 points in the first half but led 104-103 on Siakam’s powerful dunk with 2 minutes left. Indiana has lost three of four and is eighth in the East.
With Edwards in charge, Minnesota took a 54-37 midway through the second quarter only to see the Pacers cut the deficit to 60-49 at halftime.
Indiana then opened the second half on 19-4 run and finally took the lead on Myles Turner’s dunk after a Minnesota turnover made it 68-66 midway through the third.
From there, it was a back-and-forth game until Edwards’ closing flurry.
Towns sat out with a sore left knee, and Indiana also was short-handed. Starting guard Bennedict Mathurin was out with a shoulder injury and is expected to miss at least three more games.
UP NEXT
Pacers: Visit Orlando on Sunday.
