Indiana Pacers and the week ahead: Road trip drama

1 of 3

SAN ANTONIO, TX – JANUARY 21: LaMarcus Aldridge #12 of the San Antonio Spurs has the ball stripped by Thaddeus Young #21 of the Indiana Pacers at AT&T Center on January 21, 2018, in San Antonio, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Cortes/Getty Images) /

The Indiana Pacers kick off their first multi-game road trip of the season in the coming week, featuring three matchups against teams that had some drama-filled offseasons.

The 2-1 Indiana Pacers will face their first difficult road trip of the new season in Week 2 as they travel to the Western Conference to take on the Minnesota Timberwolves and the San Antonio Spurs. Then, they return East to take on the Cleveland Cavaliers at The Q.

All three of these teams had some pretty high profile, dramatic summers as their biggest stars were all in the national media almost nonstop, demanding trades or signing contracts elsewhere.

Collectively, these opponents are below .500 on the season, but don’t let that give you any false hope for just how tough some of these matchups could prove to be. All three teams are capable of holding their own, and the possibly banged up Pacers will have to be on top of their game to make this be a successful week.

If the Pacers are without bench anchor Domantas Sabonis (bruised knee) and second-year forward TJ Leaf (sprained ankle), Indy will have to count on third-string center Kyle O’Quinn to help the bench remain a positive without two of their usual contributors.

With all of that said, let’s take a look at each matchup the Pacers will encounter this week.

Game 4: Minnesota Timberwolves – Monday, 8:00 PM

INDIANAPOLIS, IN – DECEMBER 31: Jimmy Butler #23 of the Minnesota Timberwolves is defended by Darren Collison #2 of the Indiana Pacers during the second half at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on December 31, 2017, in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) /

Of the three teams Indy takes on this week, the Timberwolves have arguably had the most explosive drama of anybody in the association. Multiple time all-star SG/SF, Jimmy Butler, wants out of Minnesota, and he has not been shy about it. While the Wolves’ owner has been willing to listen to offers, Head Coach Tom Thibodeau has been less willing to make a deal that makes his team worse. It’s been a bit of a… complete and utter PR nightmare, to put it lightly.

Still, the Wolves are a team loaded with stars and formidable role players, including the aforementioned Butler, prolific young center Karl-Anthony Towns, athletic wing Andrew Wiggins, and Indy native Jeff Teague. The Wolves can bury you if you aren’t careful, so the Pacers will have to be sharp for a full 48 minutes.

Butler rested and did not play in Minnesota’s game Saturday night, so he should be fresh and ready to go on Monday. In two games this season, he’s been his typical self, averaging 28 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, and an absurd 4 steals per game. Wiggins, Teague, Towns, and former MVP Derrick Rose are all putting up over 15 points per game so far, so Minnesota has plenty of weapons to hurt you with.

The Wolves are 1-2 this season, but one of those losses was a nailbiter against Indy’s next opponent, the San Antonio Spurs. The other was to a probably-not-great Dallas Mavericks team. So the Wolves are beatable, despite the damage some of their players can do. Still, this could be a shootout

Prediction: Wolves over Pacers 127-125

Home/Pacers News