Indiana Pacers: Player grades from 104-99 win over Timberwolves

AARON HOLIDAY. D+. It wasn’t the best night for <a rel=. PG. Indiana Pacers

PG. Indiana Pacers. T.J. MCCONNELL. B. McConnell continues to be the unsung hero for the Pacers. Despite not having a great night scoring-wise, McConnell put his teammates in positions to succeed against the Timberwolves. McConnell finished with only four points but dished out eight assists, most of those coming in the second half. The backup point guard was huge down the stretch for the Pacers due to his decision-making and ability to not make mistakes. In a league where depth is at a premium, the ability to have McConnell come off the bench puts the Pacers in a position to continue to improve as the season moves forward.

NA. Justin has been shooting well beyond the arc as of late and that continued in the Target Center. Holiday would finish with six points and five rebounds. Justin’s six points would come from three-pointers. Holiday would play 30 minutes, the most by a member of the team’s second unit. Justin’s ability to stretch the floor as well as defend has allowed the Pacers to thrive without any drop off between the starting lineup and reserves. Holiday will continue to be a key piece for the Pacers. However, fans can expect more from Justin as the team attacks the remainder of the schedule.. SG. Indiana Pacers. JUSTIN HOLIDAY

SF. Indiana Pacers. DOUG MCDERMOTT. A. McDermott deserves more credit. So far this season, McDermott has been one of the most consistent pieces of the Pacers’ second unit. Over the last month, McDermott has been great offensively and that continued in Minnesota. McDermott finished with 14 points and two assists in only 18 minutes. The sharpshooter has been important for the Pacers and is only improving with time. McDermott led the bench in scoring and expect that trend to continue.

C. It’s been tough for the coaching staff to allocate Bitadze’s minutes but at least the big man is getting time on the floor as a rookie. Despite only playing four minutes, Bitadze was able to score and snag two rebounds. As his game develops, expect for Bitadze to become more confident with his game. That development will translate to more minutes and tallies on the stat sheet. The Pacers coaching staff will continue to give Bitadze opportunities, hopefully, the rookie can take advantage.. C. Indiana Pacers. GOGA BITADZE