Resilient Pacers return favor to Celtics, now face Bucks at home
The Pacers continue to search for consistency but another quality bounce-back effort to beat the Celtics had plenty of positives.
Once again, the Pacers showed similarities to the team that developed into a dangerous postseason squad last year, bouncing back from a 37-point drubbing to the Celtics on Friday, to finish off the C’s on Sunday, with a 123-114 win.
The resilience to absorb two consecutive rough losses, each in a different manner that could naturally surface any individual and collective doubts about what kind of team they really are, and then show up strong in the next game and stay strong to the final buzzer for a win against the defending champs shows there is a collective strength and pride among this young group.
Taking a tough hit, getting knocked down only to get up take another swing and deliver is vital for a team trying to both grow and secure themselves as a playoff team throughout the 82-game NBA regular season.
Now do it, again. The Bucks are in town for a New Year’s Eve matinee and they would love nothing more than to make the Pacers test that resilience, again.
There were many quality subplots in the Pacers win, but the main story revolves around Tyrese Haliburton not being denied while continually pushing the ball to the rim and looking to finish ahead of passing. Haliburton scored 31 points, but only three of those were from behind the arc. Prior games have seen opposing defenses appear to take him out of his game as Haliburton seemed fine letting his teammates take over. The six-shot debacle in the late loss to OKC exposed the problem with that approach. When needed at crunch time, Haliburton couldn’t flip the switch.
Following the win in Boston, Haliburton talked of adjusting his mindset to attack the defense, any defense (and Boston with Jaylen Brown and Derrick White can defend) and look to score. This is a similar situation, one that reared its head a few times in the playoffs last April and May when Haliburton would have low shot, no show games followed by big games. Similar mindset comments were made.
Will the mindset we saw from Haliburton in Boston stick this time?
One difference this time around, was the pursuit of finishing at the rim and doing so quite effectively instead of just taking more threes and perimeter shots. This next game against the Bucks should be a good test of Haliburton’s mindset with Andre Jackson Jr. likely shadowing him all over the court. Still have to find a way to make it happen.
Another factor which helped Haliburton’s mindset was having his backcourt partner, Andrew Nembhard back in the mix. Nembhard has 17 points, 8 assists and 8 rebounds along with a sweet block of Jayson Tatum at the rim. The man is like WD-40 for the Pacers when things get squeaky.
The other subplots of interest from the win were courtesy of a few role players. Jarace Walker, Thomas Bryant, Ben Sheppard and Benn Mathurin all had bursts of impact in various stretches of the game that helped the Pacers fend of runs by the Celtics and then re-establish a multi-possession lead.
The Celtics ability to wipe out a big deficit like they hit hyperspace on Asteroids or Defender is always a threat hanging over their opponents head regardless of the lead. In the fourth quarter, what would be the C’s last run cut a Pacers 11-point lead to two in just two minutes at 105-103. Then Haliburton scored one of his layups and Sheppard scored five consecutive after a pair of stops. The stops continued and the Pacer 11-0 run answered the C’s run immediately.
Carlisle complimented Jarace Walker for his vastly improved play and toughness after he had challenged him in a morning film session. Walker delivered 12 points and 5 rebounds with a trio of threes the kept the Pacers offense humming and Walker on the floor for 25 minutes in the game. Myles Turner also referenced the morning film session and chuckled at the thought of Walker taking heat for several plays in the Friday blowout. Turner expressed his pride in Walker for taking the criticism like a pro and applying the lessons on the court instead of getting in his feelings.
Now that’s some growth that is great to see and just as important as Haliburton’s mindset shift to take his team to another level
Can this become the norm we can expect consistently?
No better way to show it is then in a game against the Bucks. Consistency is much better than resiliency.
Pacers vs. Thunder
Where: Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, IN
When: Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2024, 3:00 p.m. ET
TV: FanDuel Sports Network
Radio: 93.5/107.5 The Fan
Odds: Pacers -1.5
Projected Starters
Pacers: Tyrese Haliburton, Andrew Nembhard, Bennedict Mathurin, Pascal Siakam, Myles Turner
Bucks: Damian Lillard, Ander Jackson Jr., Khris Middleton, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Brook Lopez
Injuries
Pacers: Obi Toppin (ankle) - questionable, Aaron Nesmith (ankle) - out, James Wiseman (Achilles) - out, Isaiah Jackson (Achilles) - out
Bucks: AJ Green (calf) - probable, Khris Middleton (ankle) - probable, Giannis Antetokounmpo (illness) - questionable