Pacers progress without Haliburton will be put to the test against Nuggets

The Pacers have been a pleasure to watch while winning games despite missing Tyrese Haliburton.

Photo: @Pacers

The Pacers did it, again in Atlanta. Rolling to a quality road win with a third-quarter burst fueled by a 10-man rotation that quite literally teamed up to put away the Hawks, 126-108.

48 minutes of fun which saw the Pacers score 76 points in the paint, part of the reason they set a franchise record with 67.1 percentage from the field. They only shot 18 threes, but made 11. The bench pumped in 73 points, as eight players scored in double figures. Without Haliburton, the team has coalesced around the role each individual has to play for the whole of the team to succeed.

By staying in their lane, doing what they do best, not trying to do too much — the progress of young players, in particular Bennedict Mathurin, Isaiah Jackson, Aaron Nesmtih, Jalen Smith has shown. All developing into solid contributors at a minimum with Mathurin and Nesmith expanding their impact. The development is never linear, but at this point in the season, the progress is clear.

The squad hasn’t been perfect. Turnovers are still a problem, but sharing the wealth has let this team survive and overcome those wrong-way runs and flip things around in positive direction. TJ McConnell running that second unit with Andrew Nembhard starting has worked real nice for the 10-man rotation, as TJMac and Mathurin complement each other by playing in constant attack mode although in different ways.

The Pacers are now a league best, 9-1 in their last ten games started the day after Christmas when Rick Carlisle changed the starting lineup in Houston. The defense has continually improved since that time and in the last 10 games is rated 12th in the league, with a third best net rating.

Nuggets a problem, Pacers without Nesmith

All of the good feels surrounding the Pacers surviving without Haliburton will be put to the full test in Denver on Sunday afternoon when the Pacers take on the defending champs. Aaron Nesmith is expected to sit out this game as he continues dealing with a shin injury. Seems like adding Buddy Hield to the starting lineup is the move, even if Mathurin deserves the starting nod. As mentioned above, Mathurin is playing starter minutes off the bench and doing quite well when running with TJ and the other reserves.

Bruce Brown will be recognized before the game, receiving his championship ring from the Nuggets for his key role in their run to the title last season. Unfortunately, all of the other key players on that championship team appear ready to roll against the Pacers. The Nuggs have swept the season series the past three seasons, so yeah, always a challenge in Denver. In fact, the Pacers are 10.5-point dogs on DraftKings. So, yeah, this will really test the Pacers improvement without Haliburton considering the Wizards and Hawks were nowhere near Denver’s level.

In fact, after the Pacers took care of the Hawks twice in a week, I was left wondering what is going on in Atlanta. Not because the Pacers beat them, but because there didn’t seem to be much, if any fight in the Hawks. They have plenty of individual talent, but seem to be a mess. That was further emphasized on Saturday night when the Wizards beat the Hawks in Atlanta, 127-99. Oof.

Game Details

Where: Ball Arena, Denver, CO

When: Sunday, Jan. 14, 2024, 3:30 p.m. ET

TV: Bally Sports

Radio: 93.5/107.5 The Fan

Projected Starters

Pacers: Andrew Nembhard, Bruce Brown, Buddy Hield, Jalen Smith, Myles Turner

Nuggets: Jamal Murray, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Michael Porter, Jr, Aaron Gordon, Nikola Jokic

Injuries

Pacers: Jarace Walker (illness) - questionable, Aaron Nesmith (shin) - out, Tyrese Haliburton (left hamstring) - out

Nuggets: Christian Braun (ankle) - probable, Peyton Watson (illness) - probable, Vlatkco Cancar (left knee) - out, Julian Strawther (right knee) - out