Minnesota Timberwolves (16-30) at Indiana Pacers (19-29), 7:00 p.m.
The Minnesota Timberwolves hope to salvage the back end of a quick two-game road trip on Tuesday when they take on the Indiana Pacers at Conseco Fieldhouse.
The Wolves dropped the opener of the trek and their third straight game overall on Sunday in Boston.
Paul Pierce's 36 points, eight rebounds and six assists more than made up for the absence of forward Kevin Garnett in that one, as the Celtics rattled off their 11th consecutive win with a 109-101 decision over Minnesota.
Garnett did not play against his former team because of the flu, but Pierce's effort, along with Ray Allen's 22 points and Tony Allen's 14, helped the Celtics improve to a spectacular 24-2 at home.
Al Jefferson, the key ingredient for Minnesota in the trade that sent Garnett to Boston in July 2007, logged 34 points and 11 rebounds, while Randy Foye contributed 21 points and nine assists for the Timberwolves, who have lost three in a row after opening the 2009 calendar year with a 10-2 record. Minnesota will try and improve on its 8-15 road record tonight.
The Pacers, meanwhile, fell to 2-1 on a four-game homestand Saturday when David Lee's 35th double-double of the season helped push the New York Knicks to a 122-113 victory over Indiana.
Al Harrington, who was drafted by and played the first six years of his career with the Pacers, dropped 31 points on his former team.
T.J. Ford poured in a career-high 36 points and doled out five assists for the Pacers, who had won two in a row coming in and are now 13-10 as the host on the year. Danny Granger added 19 points and eight boards, while Mike Dunleavy and Stephen Graham had 14 points apiece.
Indiana snapped a three-game skid against the Wolves with a 124-113 win in Indianapolis last season.
