Pacers team up to survive Jokic, beat Nuggets to keep pace in the East
The Pacers earned an important road win in Denver, now have the next three at home in the final week of the NBA regular season.
Anyone else getting antsy for the playoffs to start?
The Pacers continued their winning ways in Denver on Sunday, outlasting the Nuggets for a 125-120 road win. Similar to their prior win over the Jazz, the Pacers won the last three quarters to earn the win.
However, there was no runaway finish in this one, instead a solid, full-rotation effort which appeared to wear down the Nuggets in the end despite the hosts’ acclimation to the mile high air. This without Pascal Siakam and Ben Sheppard available for the Pacers, as well. This win was another example of a playoff-like scenario, in a close, late-game finish that the Pacers survived successfully.
In the first quarter, it appeared the Pacers may be headed for an OKC-like beatdown as Nikola Jokic made his presence felt immediately, scoring 21 points with 3 assists and 4 rebounds in the first quarter. Plus, the Nuggets were blitzing anything and everything that Tyrese Haliburton tried, which had him getting rid of the ball instead of trying to score.
But the Pacers stayed within nine points, adjusted and enjoyed a boost from the bench to stay in the game and eventually find a way to win. The early struggles impacted both Haliburton and Myles Turner, something we saw at times last season which frustrated both and made them less impactful for the whole game. This time, however, both continued to fight and ended up making a big impact as part of that group effort.
Turner scored 20 of his 24 points over the final three quarters, making four threes and blocking three shots. Haliburton took just one shot and had three turnovers in the first half, but he did have 8 assists finding ways to use the Nuggets pressure on him against them. While the shots remained tough to come by, Haliburton added 9 points and 6 assists in the second half.
Just a quality road win against a desperate Nuggets team, engaged in an incredible race for playoff positioning in the West, after Jokic hit ‘em for 41 points, 15 rebounds and 13 assists. The game closed out the Pacers schedule against Western Conference teams with a 21-10 record, with the extra WC game against the Pelicans due to the NBA Cup. Only the Cavaliers and Celtics had a better record against the West.
The rest of the starting lineup came up big, allowing Turner and Haliburton to adjust to the game. Obi Toppin started for Siakam and finished with 22 points, making four threes all of which seemed big after the team struggled to make threes early. Aaron Nesmith made three threes of his own, finishing with 17 points and 6 rebounds, while also make two clutch free throws late with 14 seconds remaining to give the Pacers a two-possession lead that held up.
Andrew Nembhard was more aggressive offensively than he has been of late, despite missing all five of the 3PAs, he finished with 19 points, 6 assists and 4 rebounds including the assist of the night for the first bucket of the game when Turner found him cutting under the hoop and he inexplicably whipped a behind the back pass out to Nesmith for a 3-ball.
The bench also came up strong with TJ McConnell having several moments, scoring 12 points with 6 assists. Bennedict Mathurin had an interesting game because he only took three shots, but remained an active factor on the floor, leading the bench in minutes and adding a steal, 4 assists and 5 rebounds. Jarace Walker was a great fit against the length of the Nuggets supporting cast and had a great effort at both ends. Walker for 3 for 3 from 3-land, finished with 11 points and 6 rebounds and more importantly, played the final three minutes for Toppin.
With four games to play, the Pacers magic number to lock up the 4th spot in the East is still 2 games. The Wizards are at the Fieldhouse on Tuesday, so hopefully that will drop to one. However, as mentioned above, with all of the solid play of late and the Pacers ability to withstand a variety of scenarios and win tight games down the stretch. It would be nice to save all of this great play for the actual playoffs.
Are we there yet?
Pacers vs. Wizards
Where: Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, IN
When: Tuesday, Apr. 8, 2025, 7:00 p.m. ET
TV: FanDuel Sports Network
Radio: 93.5/107.5 The Fan
Odds: Pacers -19
Projected Starters
Pacers: Tyrese Haliburton, Andrew Nembhard, Aaron Nesmith, Obi Toppin, Myles Turner
Wizards: Bub Carrington, Jordan Poole, AJ Johnson, Justin Champagnie, Alex Sarr
Injuries
Pacers: Ben Sheppard (toe) - questionable, Pascal Siakam (elbow) - questionable, Isaiah Jackson (Achilles) - out
Wizards: Saddiq Bey (knee) - out, Malcolm Brogdon (ankle) - out, Bilal Coulibaly (hamstring) - out, Kyshawn George (ankle) - out, Richaun Holmes (shoulder) - out, Corey Kispert (thumb) - out, Khris Middleton (knee) - out, Tristan Vukevic (knee) - out