by Raegan Walsh
Following their fourth and final In-Season Tournament Group Play win on Friday, the Indiana Pacers (9-6) will aim to keep their momentum going when they face off against the Portland Trail Blazers Monday night at Gainbridge Fieldhouse before setting off on a two-game road trip to Miami.
The Blue and Gold enter the matchup following a 136-113 win over the Detroit Pistons on Friday night that allowed them to finish 4-0 in Group Play of the In-Season Tournament. Friday’s matchup became a game of back-and-forth play until the fourth quarter when a 32-9 Indiana scoring run allowed the Pacers to pull ahead and take their largest advantage since their 12-point lead in the second quarter. The victory secured the Pacers a top-two seed and homecourt advantage for the Quarterfinals of the In-Season Tournament Knockout Rounds, which will take place on Dec. 4 and 5.
On Friday, Tyrese Haliburton recorded his 12th double-double of the season as he racked up 26 points and dished out 10 assists in the win. Myles Turner followed behind with a double-double of his own, adding 23 points on 8-of-14 shooting from the floor to go along with 10 rebounds.
Buddy Hield was also one of the seven Pacers to end the night in double-figure scoring. Hield has shined in his increased role since earning three consecutive starts for the Pacers. After scoring just five points in the two games prior to his first start on Tuesday, Hield has averaged 24.3 points per game in the three games he earned starts for while shooting 69.2 percent (27-of-39) from the floor and 66.7 percent (16-of-24) from beyond the arc.
The Pacers have continued to dominate offensively, especially with the help of Haliburton (25.4 ppg), Turner (17.2 ppg), Hield (13.9 ppg), and Bennedict Mathurin (13.0 ppg). With the contribution of the NBA franchise-record 157 points racked up by Indiana in Tuesday’s win, the Pacers have consistently led the league in points per game averaging 128.3 points. Indiana also holds the league-best field goal percentage (50.5 percent) and average number of assists per game (30.3 apg), while Portland ranks last in the league in offensive output (104.4 ppg).
The beginning of the season has been tough for the injury-ridden Trail Blazers, who enter the matchup 4-12. Portland snapped an eight-game losing streak on Wednesday with a 121-105 victory over the Utah Jazz, but then fell on Sunday afternoon in Milwaukee, 108-102.
The Trail Blazers are led in the scoring column by veteran forward Jerami Grant, who has been contributing an average of 22.8 points per game.
Center Deandre Ayton did not play on Wednesday against the Jazz due to lower back soreness, but returned on Sunday in Milwaukee. Ayton is averaging 12.6 points per game and a team-leading 10.8 rebounds per contest. He has racked up seven double-doubles this season and has recorded a double-double against Indiana in the three most recent matchups between the two teams.
With injuries in the Portland guard rotation, former Pacer Malcolm Brogdon has earned six starts this season, including four straight. Brogdon is averaging 17.7 points per game, which is a league-best for points per game among players who come off the bench.
Projected Starters
Pacers: G – Tyrese Haliburton, G – Bruce Brown, F – Buddy Hield, F – Obi Toppin, C – Myles Turner
Trail Blazers: G – Malcolm Brogdon, G – Shaedon Sharpe, F – Toumani Camara, F – Jerami Grant, C – Duop Reath
Injury Report
Pacers: Aaron Nesmith – questionable (right wrist sprain)
Trail Blazers: Deandre Ayton – probable (sore lower back), Rayan Rupert – questionable (G League assignment), Anfernee Simons – out (right thumb ligament tear), Ish Wainright – out (left knee MCL sprain), Robert Williams III – out (right knee ligament tear)
Last Meeting
Jan. 6, 2023: After what had been a back-and-forth matchup for the majority of the contest, a 15-2 scoring run in the fourth quarter gave the Pacers momentum to close out the game ahead and defeat the Trail Blazers, 108-99.
Bennedict Mathurin led the six Pacers who ended the night in double figures with 19 points on 6-of-10 shooting from the floor. Turner pitched in 17 points and seven rebounds, while Haliburton contributed a double-double of 15 points and 12 assists.
In addition, the Pacers held the Trail Blazers to under 30 points in each of the four quarters.
The Blazers were led by Anfernee Simons who notched 20 points on the night. He was followed in the scoring column by Damian Lillard’s 18 points and eight assists, Jusuf Nurkic’s 14 points and 19 rebounds, and Jerami Grant’s 15 points.
Noteworthy
- The Pacers are 38-60 all-time against the Trail Blazers. The Blue and Gold went 1-1 with Portland in the 2022-23 season and have defeated the Trail Blazers in the two most recent meetings in Indianapolis.
- On Friday, Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle earned his 250th win to tie Frank Vogel for the second-most coaching victories in franchise history. Hall of Famer Slick Leonard holds the franchise record with 529 career wins.
- Tyrese Haliburton, who is averaging a league-leading 12.1 assists per game, recorded his 1,000th assist in a Pacers uniform on Friday.
- Buddy Hield needs six 3-pointers to secure a top-10 spot in the franchise ranks for most 3-point field goals made in franchise history. Hield currently ranks 11th with 417 3-pointers and trails Troy Murphy with 419. In addition, Hield sits in 27th place in NBA history for the most 3-pointers made in a career with 1,754.
- Trail Blazers guard Malcolm Brogdon spent three seasons with the Pacers before being traded to the Boston Celtics on July 9, 2022.
Broadcast Information (TV and Radio Listings)
TV: Bally Sports Indiana – Chris Denari (play-by-play), Quinn Buckner (analyst), Jeremiah Johnson (sideline reporter/host)
Radio: 93.5/107.5 The Fan – Mark Boyle (play-by-play), Eddie Gill (analyst), Pat Boylan (sideline reporter/host)
Originally posted on pacers.com