The Indiana Pacers had no business pulling off a thrilling overtime victory on Monday.
The Pacers went up against a Minnesota Timberwolves team on an eight-game win streak while missing Tyrese Haliburton, Pascal Siakam, Aaron Nesmith and Myles Turner, then lost Andrew Nembhard and Bennedict Mathurin in the middle of the game; Nembhard was ejected and Mathurin fouled out.
Despite the odds stacked against them, the undermanned Pacers pulled out the victory—largely thanks to the unheralded efforts of Obi Toppin.
Against the surging Timberwolves, Toppin, who is averaging 9.9 points per game, scored a season-high 34 points with 10 rebounds and two assists. Toppin legitimately drove the Pacers to the victory once overtime hit. In OT, Toppin scored 12 of the team's 15 points from the period on four three-pointers, including the game-winning three-point basket.
With 3.5 seconds on the clock and the Pacers trailing 130-129, Toppin shot the fading triple that won the game. The Timberwolves' Julius Randle had the chance to counter in the final seconds but missed his shot.
Following the win, Haliburton perfectly celebrated Toppin's performance by posting a meme of Family Guy character Peter Griffin shooting a basketball. Haliburton captioned the picture with Toppin's full name in all caps: "OBADIAH RICHARD TOPPIN JR."
OBADIAH RICHARD TOPPIN JR. pic.twitter.com/v0wqb7wQtM
— Tyrese Haliburton (@TyHaliburton22) March 18, 2025
Haliburton pulled off a similarly improbable shot last Tuesday to defeat the Milwaukee Bucks. Trailing by three points, Haliburton made a three-pointer over Giannis Antetokounmpo and hit a free throw to win the game in regulation.
Monday's win now brings the Pacers to 38-29 on the season. They will go up against the Timberwolves again in one week, but will hopefully have more of their players back for that rematch.
More of the Latest Around the NBA
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Tyrese Haliburton Posted Perfect Meme After Pacers' Improbable OT Win Over Timberwolves.
