INDIANAPOLIS (AP) _ The Indiana Pacers looked a lot different Wednesday night than they did the last time they played in Conseco Fieldhouse.

Gone were three starters from the defending Eastern Conference champions.

Gone was Larry Bird.

But the younger, revamped Pacer team found just the infusion it needed against the Minnesota Timberwolves _ Jermaine O'Neal. O'Neal scored 12 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and helped lead the Pacers to a 91-83 victory in their preseason opener.

``I thought Jermaine played well,'' new coach Isiah Thomas said. ``His quickness is something a lot of forwards will have a hard time dealing with in this league.''

Minnesota certainly had a hard time in the 26 minutes that they had to contest with O'Neal.

But even with O'Neal the Pacers didn't exactly resemble a championship team.

They shot just 39.8 percent form the floor, just 68 percent from the free-throw line, and the biggest talk of the night was created by the do-rag worn by center Sam Perkins in the first half and removed in the second half.

And that wasn't even the worst part.

The Pacers new point guard, Jalen Rose, left late in the first half with a sprained left wrist after crashing hard to the floor following a dunk. Rose did not play in the second half and Thomas was uncertain of when Rose may play again.

``I'm not sure what his status is right now,'' Thomas said. ``I know he'll get an MRI and some X-rays taken.''

Minnesota had its own injury problem. Point guard Terrell Brandon also left late in the half after falling on his hip.

When Brandon went out, the Timberwolves struggled.

``When Terrell got hurt, we went with a couple of subs,'' Saunders said. ``He landed on his hip and it's kind of a hip-pointer.''

But the struggles were not all Minnesota's.

While O'Neal helped the Pacers stay close through most of the first quarter, the Timberwolves pulled away almost as soon as Thomas pulled all of his starters during the final two minutes of the quarter.

During the next five minutes, Minnesota went on a 9-0 run and opened a 29-20 lead.

Indiana spent the rest of the half battling back.

``We had great flow early,'' coach Flip Saunders said. ``I thought there were some positive things early, but I thought the second half was not very good.''

Actually, the Timberwolves' troubles started late in the second quarter.

Indiana closed the half on a 6-0 run and managed to close within 48-45 at halftime.

Then things changed.

``We had a great flow early, but then they made some plays,'' Saunders said. ``We could never grasp the momentum again and get back into the flow.''

Instead, the Pacers closed to within 66-65 after three quarters, a sluggish performance that did not satisfy Thomas.

``I think that Pacer fan was probably experiencing the same shock I felt when I came here,'' Thomas said, referring to the changes Indiana has made since last season. ``This is a different team. We lost the guts of our team.''

But not everything.

The Indiana backups ignited a quick 7-0 run midway through the fourth quarter, giving the Pacers a 78-72 edge _ a lead they never let slip away.

``We still have a long way to go,'' Thomas said. ``We're not really the type of basketball team I envisioned us being. Tonight, I wasn't that pleased with the way we played defense.''