Pacers start fast, take care of business late to beat Heat

The Pacers came up with a much-needed win thanks to a strong effort from their starting group.

The Pacers looked like a different team on Sunday in their rematch against the Heat, starting the game on an 8-0 run which included a pair of 3-balls from Myles Turner.

The Heat were forced to chase from behind much of the game which seemed to fluctuate between an eight to three-point advantage throughout the game. The Pacers did push the lead to 16 at one point in the third quarter, but the Heat rallied to tie the game at 97 midway through the fourth quarter.

That’s when Tyrese Haliburton stepped up to knock down a pair of 3-balls that flipped the momentum in the Pacers favor for good, although the final dagger came with 50 seconds left in the game when Turner made his fifth three on the night to push the lead to seven points.

Photo: FanDuel Sports Network

Turner finished with 34 points, 9 rebounds and 2 blocks bouncing back with an impactful effort after now showing up on Friday. After the game, Turner talked about trying to manage his mindset this year and dealing with the early season frustrations when he’s so locked in on building for next year. Let’s get real, he’s also locked in on his pending free agency, so he needs to stay in the moment to be more consistent instead of getting down when the going gets tough.

Until he rode in with those big threes, Haliburton didn’t have a great scoring game going, but he was feeding the rest of the crew with 13 assists and more importantly ZERO turnovers. The Pacers as a team only had 10 turnovers and also won the rebound battle, 45-38. That combo is almost always a winning formula for the Pacers.

Pascal Siakam only took 11 shots but delivered 23 points despite fouling out late in the game. Rick Carlisle was set on just using an 8-man rotation which saw Obi Toppin as the first sub off the bench. Quenton Jackson eventually played as the 9th man after Ben Sheppard tweaked an oblique and had to leave the game. Toppin had 8 points and 3 rebounds off the bench but his activity on the defensive end was noticeable and quite nice to see.

Finally, Bennedict Mathurin also bounced back quite well from the last game with a 21 points and 12 rebounds for yet another double-double. It seems like Mathurin’s success on the glass has been building as he continues to post great numbers. Just as he has always attacked scoring opportunities, since he’s gotten a taste of the big rebound numbers, he is hunting down the ball much more aggressively. Also, have to assume he continues to learn how best to the ball which has really helped the Pacers overall even if he’s defense in general remains spotty.

Off to Toronto

The Pacers flew to Toronto after beating the Heat where they will play the Raptors on Monday night. The gnarly back-to-back comes after the Pacers have made it through the initial 13-game stretch to start the season that appeared so daunting in early October.

Of course, nothing went as expected with wild injury situations impacting several teams and the Pacers winning some of the toughest games on the schedule while dumping others they were expected to win. Alas, finishing 6-7 after that stretch has kept the Pacers in touch in the crowded Eastern Conference. The next 12 games appear to be a much lighter load, although the way the Pacers have performed against supposed lesser competition, this may be more critical than it appears on paper.

With Sheppard now questionable, the Pacers could use some good news on Andrew Nembhard returning at some point during this stretch. But until then, the Pacers will have to keep leaning on their youth for some depth, particularly in a back-to-back situation.

The Raptors have several key players out, as well, but have recently have seen some solid play from Gradey Dick and Jakob Poeltl. Still, the Raptors have lost their last seven games and only have two wins so far this season.

UPDATE: Ben Sheppard is out and Myles Turner is questionable with a calf, per Pacers.

Pacers vs. Raptors

Where: Scotiabank Arena, Toronto, ON

When: Monday, Nov. 18, 2024, 7:30 p.m. ET

TV: FanDuel Sports Network

Radio: 93.5/107.5 The Fan

Odds: Pacers -4

Projected Starters

Pacers: Tyrese Haliburton, Ben Sheppard, Bennedict Mathurin, Pascal Siakam, Myles Turner

Raptors: Davion Mitchell, Gradey Dick, RJ Barrett, Ochai Agbaji, Jakob Peoltl

Injuries

Pacers: Myles Turner (calf) - questionable, Ben Sheppard (oblique) - out, Aaron Nesmith (ankle) - out, James Wiseman (Achilles) - out, Isaiah Jackson (Achilles) - out, Andrew Nembhard (knee) - out

Raptors: Scottie Barnes (orbital fracture) - out, Bruce Brown (knee) - out, Bruno Fernando (ankle) - out, Kelly Olynyk (back) - out, Immanuel Quickley (elbow) - out, Ja’Kobe Walter (shoulder) - out