If the Minnesota Timberwolves are going to make an impact in the Western Conference leading into the playoffs, they have an uphill battle ahead of them. The team has been hit hard by the injury bug and is planning to start the second half of the season without Nikola Pekovic and Kevin Martin. That will make getting into the playoff picture even harder as they prepare to face the East's best, the Indiana Pacers.
The Timberwolves are still sitting outside the playoff picture looking in with a 25-28 record. There is urgency to break their playoff absence considering Minnesota has not been to the postseason since 2003. Losing two scorers does not help the effort. The team was hoping Pekovic would be able to return after missing 10 games with ankle issues, but the six days off did nothing for his health.
Martin and Pekovic are averaging 19.0 and 18.0 points per game respectively. Martin remains out with an injured thumb and both will have their absence felt against the defensive-minded Pacers who are 4-1 in their last five games against the Western Conference team. In their last meeting in November, Kevin Love put up 20 points and 17 rebounds while Minnesota only shot 32.6 percent overall. It was the second-lowest total of the season.
The Pacers are operating on all cylinders entering the second half of the season. The team dominated the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday as Paul George led the way with 26 points while the Pacers scored 35 points off 22 Atlanta turnovers. They continue to sit on top of the Eastern Conference and aim to stay that way on their Western road trip.