Pacers continue fighting for playoff position in the East
Pacers continue fighting for playoff position in the East
The Pacers are clinging on to the sixth spot in the East as they prepare to face the Nets on Wednesday night.
The Pacers team goal of making the playoffs this season reached another milestone when they clinched a winning season by beating the Lakers on Friday and then by Monday, sealed up at least a No. 8 seed in the East with a win over the Nets.
But that just clinches a play-in spot, not a coveted first-round series in the Eastern Conference playoffs. Holding onto their current spot at No. 6 in the East will do the trick but there is no margin for error with six games left to play.
Rick Carlisle made that clear following the solid, 133-111 win over the Nets. The win wasn’t perfect and Carlisle made it clear his team had to continue tightening up their game at both ends of the floor for the final stretch of the season. They should expect a different effort from the Nets, who will not be on a back-to-back on Wednesday and will likely have more players to lean on.
Simply put, the Miami Heat and Philadelphia 76ers are drafting close behind with veteran firepower smelling the postseason. The Pacers have no room for error with Oklahoma City in on Monday and then a monster matchup with the Heat at the Fieldhouse on Sunday. Essentially, the playoffs have started but these are not the games to fulfil the team’s goals.
While the Heat and Sixers appear ready to pounce from behind, the Knicks have lost three in a row and seem to FINALLY be feeling the weight of missing OG Anunoby, Julius Randle and Mitchell Robinson for so many games. While the Pacers play the Nets on Wednesday, the Knicks host the Kings.
Here are the remaining schedules for No. 5 thru No. 8:
Knicks - Kings, @Bulls, @Bucks, @Bulls, @Celtics, Nets, Bulls
Pacers - @Nets, Thunder, Heat, @Raptors, @Cavaliers, Hawks
Heat - 76ers, @Rockets, @Pacers, @Hawks, Mavericks, Raptors, Raptors
76ers - @Heat, @Grizzlies, @Spurs, Pistons, Magic, Nets
As you can see, the Knicks and Heat have seven games remaining, but both have plenty of challenges left (assuming the Knicks get the same Bulls that give the Pacers fits). The Sixers have the lightest load remaining, assuming Joel Embiid remains healthy and playing as he did on Tuesday night to help Philly rally late to beat the Thunder.
It feels like things are falling into place for the Pacers with both Pascal Siakam and Tyrese Haliburton playing at a high level, trending toward consistency. The team’s key roles are established. This is why I loved the tone of Carlisle’s postgame comments. Things are starting to feel good, but this team still needs to remain on edge since they have proven time and again, they can never exhale.
Plus, not all is perfect with the glaring concern of Myles Turner’s right index finger which appeared to be pointing all over downtown on Monday after he dislocated his finger on the rim. It would be huge if he can find a way to play through the injury sooner rather than later, but the center depth will be put to the test, if not. This is where being able to lean on the stars in Hali and Siakam is so important.
TJ McConnell has been incredibly consistent off the bench for the Pacers of late to the point where he has a damn good 6th Man of the Year resume building. He was also named a finalist for the NBA’s Twyman-Stokes Teammate of the Year Award. Cancel that thing if TJ doesn’t win. From Carlisle hating to tell TJ he was out of the rotation at the start of the year to an indispensable part of the rotation, all while trying to help his younger teammates adjust to expectations. Yeah, easy choice.
Now TJ’s teammates, to a man, need to match the consistent level of effort and focus he delivers, to complete their regular season journey on a positive note by reaching their initial goal to secure a first-round playoff series.
Game Details
Where: Barclays Center, Brooklyn, NY
When: Wednesday, Apr. 3, 2024, 7:30 p.m. ET
TV: Bally Sports
Radio: 93.5/107.5 The Fan
Odds: Pacers -7.5
Projected Starters
Pacers: Tyrese Haliburton, Andrew Nembhard, Aaron Nesmith, Pascal Siakam, Myles Turner
Nets: Dennis Schroder, Cam Thomas, Mikal Bridges, Dorian Finney-Smith, Nic Claxton
Injuries
Pacers: Myles Turner (finger) - questionable, Bennedict Mathurin (shoulder)- out
Nets: Cameron Johnson (big toe) - probable, Dennis Smith Jr. (hip) - questionable, Keita Bates-Diop (leg) - out, Ben Simmons (back) - out, Dariq Whitehead (shin) - out