Pacers rally, then rally, again to beat Clippers, now finish roadie against Lakers
The Pacers made the last run stick after a back-and-forth affair with the Clippers, earning another road win with one more to go before heading home.
Neither the Pacers nor Clippers can claim they played a strong 48 minutes, but the teams combined for one of the wilder game flows you will ever see with big runs on both sides until the Pacers zoomed past the Clips late thanks to a 14-0 run, then held on for the 119-112 win.
Once again, the Pacers struggled to get their offense going, making just under 28% of their shots in the first quarter while the Clippers were on fire from all over the court, including making 10 of 15 threes in the first quarter to run out to a 22-point lead at one point before settling for a 42-22 difference after the first quarter. To make matters worse, and Myles Turner suffered and inadvertent shot to the head and neck area from Bennedict Mathurin which had Turner dizzy and then out for the remainder of the game.
While it was an ugly start for the Pacers, it could’ve been worse were it not for Pascal Siakam and Ben Sheppard who both had 8 points in the first quarter to keep the Pacers above water. Siakam continued leading the charge for the Pacers as they flipped the script in the second quarter with an early 15-0 run to get back in the mix. Then the Pacers closed the first half with a furious 19-0 run to take a three-point lead to the break.
Siakam was magnificent with 20 points at the break on just 9 shots. For the game, Siakam finished with 33 points and 11 rebounds, making 5 of 5 threes and 13 of 19 shots overall. Oh, and guarded Kawhi Leonard down the stretch which included a steal late, one of 19 turnovers the Pacers forced which lead to 32 points. That effort helped nullify the Cips’ 3-ball advantage.
Tyrese Haliburton struggled once again to find his offensive flow with just 5 points through the first three quarters, deferring far too often early, although he did deliver 7 assists. But after the Pacers let an early double-digit lead slip away in the third quarter, Haliburton showed up strong at winning time when it matter most.
Haliburton teamed up with Bennedict Mathurin to make several big plays, and free throws, to help Siakam down the stretch in clutch time. Haliburton and Mathurin had 9 points each in the final quarter, making 9 of 12 (Benn 7 for 10) free throws late to keep the Clips at bay. Haliburton also had a signature move while moving the ball up the court late in the win, shaking two Clippers pressing in a last gasp effort. The duo got tangled up, went down and came up limping after Haliburton advanced the ball past them across the midcourt line.
The Pacers scored 35 fourth quarter points, the defensive effort stood out, getting stops and pushing the pace to wear out the Clippers. Obi Toppin played a lot of small ball five with Turner out and held up nicely, using his speed to neutralize Ivica Zubac. Toppin and Thomas Bryant filled gap left without Myles real well. Toppin finished with 10 and 6 rebounds while Bryant had 12 points and 10 rebounds.
While it wasn’t a solid 48 minute effort, the Pacers certainly delivered enough impressive minutes to hold off a healthy Clippers squad and move to 2-1 on their four-game road trip.
Time to get greedy now as the Pacers move to downtown LA to take on the Lakers on Saturday afternoon. Fans will have no issues watching the 4 p.m. ET tip since ESPN picked up the game hoping to see Luka Doncic’s first game with LeBron. The game will also be shown on FanDuel Sports Network as usual with that broadcast also shown in Indy on WTHR-13.
As it turns out, Luka is now targeting the Lakers next game on Monday against the Jazz. Kind of funny to think that Luka may not have wanted to start with the Pacers considering how they have beaten the Mavs over the past two seasons and certainly make a Luka have to get up and down the floor with frequency.
The late Friday injury report was plenty full. For the Pacers, Myles Turner has been ruled out with a cervical strain, which sounds horrible but is related to a neck injury from a jolt like he took against the Clips. For the Lakers, LeBron James and Austin Reaves are both questionable. The Lakers have won four in a row and remain in a tight race for playoff real estate in the West, but with days off around the Pacers game, it would seem like an odd time for extra rest.
Meanwhile, the Pacers keep grinding on the road, playing nowhere near their best but still finding a way to win games. Along with the good start to the roadie, the Pacers are 4-1 in their current stretch of 8 games after Paris before the All-Star break. There remains plenty of time leading up to the playoffs to find a higher level of execution, but for now, the JWB approach is working well to maintain those lofty postseason plans.
Pacers vs. Lakers
Where: Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, CA
When: Saturday, Feb. 8, 2025, 4:00 p.m. ET
TV: FanDuel Sports Network/WTHR-13/ESPN
Radio: 93.5/107.5 The Fan
Odds: Pacers -2.5
Projected Starters
Pacers: Tyrese Haliburton, Andrew Nembhard, Bennedict Mathurin, Pascal Siakam, Thomas Bryant
Lakers: Austin Reaves, Dorian Finney-Smith, LeBron James, Rui Hachimura, Jaxon Hayes
Injuries
Pacers: Myles Tuner (cervical strain) - out, Isaiah Jackson (Achilles) - out
Lakers: LeBron James (ankle) - questionable, Austin Reaves (elbow) - questionable, Mark Williams (trade) - questionable, Luka Doncic (calf) - out, Maxi Kleber (foot) - out, Christian Wood (knee) - out