Pacers fearlessly force their way back in East race with road win in OKC
The Pacers impressive win over the Thunders has them back in a good spot in the East but the work to get there will be tested with a 'schedule loss' matchup looming against the Bulls at the Fieldhouse
Consecutive wins go a long way at the back end of the Eastern Conference playoff race. After the Pacers posted an impressive 121-111 win over the Thunder in Oklahoma City, the team moved up to sixth place in the East. Immediately after the game, Myles Turner knew the situation and remarked that his team controls their own destiny as they look to reach their goal of making the playoffs.
This is all true but will be quickly tested when they play the Bulls at home less than 24 hours after wrapping up the dub in OKC. Back-to-backs are never good, regardless of the opponent and in this case the Bulls will be rested and ready after watching the Pacers from Indy last night. Still, the Pacers have recovered nicely after a rough 1-3 stretch which included losing Bennedict Mathurin for the season.
The Pacers will have to lean on their depth against the Bulls after going all in for the win on Tuesday. Both Tyrese Haliburton and Aaron Nesmith played 36 minutes with Myles Turner and Pascal Siakam going over the 30 minute mark, as well.
But man, did those starters deliver along with Andrew Nembhard whose 26 minutes were the toughest of all as he chased and chastised Shai Gilgeous-Alexander when on the floor. SGA is the league’s second leading scorer and he ended the game a point shy of his average with 30 for the game. But he had to work for all of them, needing 27 shots to reach 30 points as Nembhard and Nesmith along with occasional help from others, slowed down SGA’s unique game with help constantly waiting in the pain.
“I was just off, I felt like,” SGA said after the game, reluctant to give credit to the defensive approach he had to deal with.
It reminded me of the story George “Ice Man” Gervin, who lead the league in scoring four times in the late 70’s and early 80’s (most via the finger roll), used to tell when asked about the toughest defender. He would pay homage with the punchline, “That was always a tough 30.” SGA definitely had a tough 30 against the Pacers.
SGA did like what he saw from the Pacers in the first matchup between the two teams this season, however.
“They play fast and they play free,” SGA said. “They race up and down the court no matter what. All five guys are like weapons, they can all shoot whenever they want. Drive, dribble, pass and everybody is a threat at all times.”
The Pacers front office needs to clip and save that for every free agent pitch going forward. But back to the game…
The starters actually started strong, with Myles Turner scoring 7 of the Pacers first 9 points. Turner finished with 24 points, finishing at all three levels in the process while also blocking 4 shots. The 4 swats gives him 10 over the past two games.
Pascal Siakam did a bit of everything with 18 points, 11 rebounds and 4 assists, often going to work on a favorable matchup to get a bucket near the rim on his own. Siakam’s minutes were staggered to allow him to add that offensive option to the reserve unit as he continues to display how his value to the team can morph to fit the situation from game to game.
Tyrese Haliburton finished with 18 points and 12 assists, but continues struggling with his shot, needing 15 attempts to score his points. Earlier in the day on a radio interview with Kevin Bowen and Andy Sweeney, Rick Carlisle was asked about how he handles guys that are in a shooting slump (aka Haliburton).
Carlisle relayed his approach with TJ McConnell earlier in the season after McConnell became tentative to shoot during games. Everything Carlisle said applies to Haliburton and he feels the focus should not be on the result but on the process.
"I do not look at stats,” Carlisle said. “I have a general awareness of who is shooting the ball well and who may be struggling in a given situation. But it is much more important to me what the process is on a day-to-day basis. The process of preparation, the process of how are you stepping into good looks during the games? Are you doing it tentatively or are you doing it fearlessly?"
Carlisle went on to discuss TJ McConnell getting off to a slow start, compared to how effectively he shot the three last year. Teams dare TJM to shoot, and Carlisle approached him when he was working on threes, encouraging him to tap into his ‘defiant competitiveness’ when opponents disrespect him and back off. He makes them in practice, so he just needs to step behind the line and knock ‘em down.
Prior to the All-Star break, McConnell was 3 for 19 from three land, starting the season 1 for 16. Since the break, McConnell is 5 for 6 from three. Obviously, not a volume shooter, but shooting it with confidence and when they splash it’s a killer for opponents to watch.
It feels like Haliburton has been going through this process, as well since the All-Star break. He’s had a case of the clanks and shots he was ready to fire during the IST, for example are passed up. When he does shoot, there’s often an extra hesi-dribble, just not shot with that defiant attitude. But last night, after a 1 for 5 start from behind the arc, Haliburton didn’t hesitate at all when dropping a 30-foot 3-ball with two minutes left that in my mind, was the dagger, putting the Pacers up 10 points, once again, rebuffing the relentless Thunder.
During the broadcast, Jeremiah Johnson reported that Carlisle emphasized playing “fearlessly” down the stretch. That Hali shot was fearless considering the circumstances and the fact that raised his 3PT percentage to 19 in the past six games.
Message received.
After the game, Myles Turner mentioned how the team was fearless down the stretch and Aaron Nesmith said playing fearless should be the Pacers theme for the rest of the season as everything they are working toward is there for the taking. That means no excuses like their last back-to-back with travel against a Bulls team that always seems to find way to be a problems.
Game Details
Where: Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, IN
When: Wednesday, Mar. 13, 2024, 7:30 p.m. ET
TV: Bally Sports
Radio: 93.5/107.5 The Fan
Odds: Pacers +6.5
Projected Starters
Pacers: Tyrese Haliburton, Andrew Nembhard, Aaron Nesmith, Pascal Siakam, Myles Turner
Bulls: Coby White, Ayo Dosunmu, Alex Caruso, DeMar DeRozan, Nikola Vucevic
Injuries
Pacers: James Johnson (illness) - questionable, Bennedict Mathurin (shoulder)- out, Doug McDermott (calf) - out
Bulls: Torrey Craig - probable (right ankle sprain), Julian Phillips (sore foot) - questionable, Lonzo Ball (knee) - out, Zach LaVine (foot) - out, Patrick Williams (foot) - out