Obi Toppin

Over a week-and-a-half stretch through mid-March, the Indiana Pacers found their resilience tested through a sequence that included five single-digit wins and a number of unsung heroes throughout the process. En fuego during what became the second-greatest statistical display of his five-year NBA career, Obi Toppin used March 17, 2025’s double-overtime platform to join that select group against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Eager to test an ultra-green light with each of the Pacers’ top two scorers missing, Toppin fed the highlight reel creators a full menu of buckets that included: acrobatic double-clutch finger rolls, off-screen pull-ups, and everything in between. The prevailing highlight, though, arrived in overtime, when Toppin — off-balanced, and challenged by Jaden McDaniels’ 6-foot-9 “seat belt” defense — let fly a game-clinching 3-pointer, calling game in Indy’s favor. Exemplifying what it means to put a team squarely on his back in crunchtime, Toppin recorded 34 points (including 12 of the Pacers’ 15 in overtime), complemented by 10 rebounds, two assists, one steal, one block, and seven 3-pointers.