Bennett Leads Timberwolves Past Pacers 107-89
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Anthony Bennett scored 17 points and Ricky Rubio had 16, leading the Minnesota Timberwolves to a 107-89 preseason victory over the Indiana Pacers on Tuesday night.
Bennett was 7 for 9 from the field. The reserve scored Minnesota's first six points of the fourth quarter to help the Wolves maintain their comfortable lead over the injury-depleted Pacers.
Donald Sloan scored 19 points for Indiana, which lost starting guard George Hill to a left-knee contusion in the third quarter. Chris Copeland had 17 points, and Roy Hibbert finished with 14 points and nine rebounds.
Hill was hurt during a scramble for the ball with less than five minutes to play in the third. He was fouled on the play, and managed to shoot two free throws — missing both — after staying on the floor for several minutes.
The Pacers called timeout after the second missed free throw, and Hill eventually walked off the court to the trainer's room. He finished with 14 points in 21 minutes.
The Pacers already were playing without starting forward David West, who stayed behind in Indianapolis to nurse a sprained right ankle.
Hill's 19-footer with 4:09 in the second made it 37-all before Rubio and Bennett combined for 15 points during Minnesota's decisive 32-6 run over the next nine minutes.
Known more for his flashy assists than accurate shooting, Rubio celebrated his 24th birthday by going 4 for 8 from the floor, and hitting 7 of 8 from the free-throw line.
TIP-INS:
Pacers: Luis Scola started in place of West and finished with five points on 1-for-5 shooting from the floor.
Timberwolves: Second-year forward Shabazz Muhammad returned to action after missing the past three games with a sore right Achilles tendon. Muhammad, who had been listed as questionable for Tuesday night's game, finished with six points on 3-for-7 shooting. Rookie Andrew Wiggins dressed but didn't play after taking a hard spill on Sunday's game at Oklahoma City.
UP NEXT:
Pacers: Thursday at Charlotte.
Timberwolves: Thursday at Milwaukee.
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