by Wheat Hotchkiss
Reinforcements are coming soon for the Pacers, but they didn’t them on Thursday night in Sacramento.
Seven players reached double figures as an undermanned Indiana team outplayed a full-strength Kings team for most of the night then withstood a late rally to hold on for a 126-121 victory.
The Pacers pulled off a blockbuster trade for two-time All-Star forward Pascal Siakam on Wednesday night, but the combination of that trade and injuries left Indiana with just 11 active players on Thursday night, two of them being two-way players Oscar Tshiebwe and Kendall Brown.
Siakam was in Indianapolis on Thursday to undergo a physical and is expected to join the team in Portland on Friday. The Pacers gave up three players to make room for Siakam, trading Bruce Brown and Jordan Nwora to Toronto and waiving veteran forward James Johnson.
All-Star guard Tyrese Haliburton is nearing a return but remained out with a left hamstring strain on Thursday. Fellow starters Aaron Nesmith (left tibialis anterior strain) and Andrew Nembhard (thoracic spine sprain) were also out due to injury and third-year forward Isaiah Jackson played just five minutes before his night ended after taking a blow to the head.
But the available Pacers stepped up in Sacramento.
Second-year guard Bennedict Mathurin scored a team-high 25 points to go along with four assists and two blocks. Veteran point guard T.J. McConnell tallied a double-double with 20 points on 9-of-14 shooting and 10 assists. Myles Turner was his usual self, contributing 18 points. Big man Jalen Smith battled through an upset stomach to register a double-double of his own with 17 points and 13 rebounds. And rookie forward Jarace Walker scored a career-high 15 points off the bench, going 6-for-13 from the field and 3-for-8 from 3-point range.
“McConnell set the tone,” Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said after the win. “He was in the paint the entire first half and continued attacking it in the second. And then I thought Mathurin was terrific in the second half as well. He had strong drives, he had and-ones, he had a difficult pull-up on the left baseline, he had a big three up top.”
The win snapped a two-game skid for Indiana (24-17) and handed the Kings (23-18) their fourth straight loss.
FIRST QUARTER
Despite being shorthanded, the Pacers’ offense was firing on all cylinders from the opening tip. Indiana shot 61.5 percent in the opening frame, with McConnell tallying eight points and Mathurin, Smith, and rookie Ben Sheppard adding six points apiece to propel the Blue & Gold to a 34-31 lead.
SECOND QUARTER
The Pacers strung together a 10-2 run over a two-minute stretch early in the ensuing quarter to open up a double-digit lead.
Indiana led 56-46 following Smith’s dunk off a dish from Buddy Hield with 4:58 remaining in the first half. The Kings reeled off a 9-2 run to get back within three, but the Blue & Gold closed the half strong.
McConnell made a circus layup with 2:06 to play and then found a streaking Obi Toppin for a breakaway slam on Indiana’s next possession. Back-to-back threes by Smith and Mathurin and two McConnell free throws capped a 12-2 Pacers run to close the half and take a 70-57 lead into halftime.
Indiana shot 62.2 percent in the first half.
THIRD QUARTER
Kevin Huerter helped the Kings mount a charge after the intermission, scoring all of Sacramento’s points as the hosts opened the third quarter with a 10-2 run.
Later in the frame, Huerter’s sixth three of the night cut Indiana’s lead to 85-82 with 4:40 remaining in the quarter. But Hield immediately answered with a three of his own on the other end, which sparked a 9-2 spurt that pushed the margin back to double digits.
FOURTH QUARTER
Walker’s dunk in the final minute of the frame gave the Pacers a 99-89 lead entering the fourth quarter. The rookie then opened the final frame by knocking down threes on Indiana’s first two possessions to stretch the lead to 16.
The Kings responded with a 10-2 run to get back within single digits, but Indiana answered with six straight points, including back-to-back and-ones. First, Mathurin attacked the rim and got a floater to fall over Domantas Sabonis despite contact from the big man. The next trip down the floor, Mathurin dished off to a cutting Turner, who converted a layup while drawing a foul on Huerter.
The Pacers maintained a healthy margin for most of the rest of the night. They led 122-106 following Mathurin’s three with 2:20 remaining.
The Kings managed to make it interesting with a late rally, reeling off 11 unanswered points over the next 90 seconds to get within five.
Two Hield free throws with 48.8 seconds remaining made it a three-possession game. De’Aaron Fox raced down the court and converted a layup with 41.3 seconds to play.
After a timeout, the Kings stripped the ball from Walker in the backcourt and Huerter’s layup cut the lead to three with 32.2 seconds remaining.
On the other end, the Pacers ran down the shot clock, but McConnell ultimately missed a layup, giving Sacramento a chance to tie the game. Fox airballed a rushed three, but the Kings came up with the offensive rebound and took a timeout with 5.1 seconds remaining.
The Pacers elected to foul to prevent a game-tying attempt, with Turner grabbing Malik Monk on the inbound. Monk missed his first foul shot with 3.9 seconds to play. Monk missed the second shot on purpose, but Smith secured the rebound and the victory.
Hield stuffed the stat sheet against his former team, as he shared ballhandling responsibilities with McConnell with Haliburton and Nembhard both sideline. The Bahamian sharpshooter finished with 12 points, six rebounds, and a season-high eight assists for Indiana.
Toppin added 10 points and four assists off the bench, while rookie guard Ben Sheppard finished with seven points, four rebounds, two assists, and two steals.
Huerter led all scorers with 31 points on 11-of-17 shooting (7-of-12 from 3-point range). Murray added 27 points and nine rebounds, while Fox tallied 24 points, five rebounds, and six assists.
Sabonis recorded his 12th triple-double of the season, finishing with 21 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists against his former team.
The Pacers will wrap up their six-game road trip over the weekend, playing in Portland on Friday night and Phoenix on Sunday before returning to Indianapolis for a four-game homestand next week.
Inside the Numbers
Mathurin led the team in scoring for the fifth time this season and reached 25 points for the sixth time.
Smith recorded his second double-double of the season. His 13 rebounds were a new season high.
McConnell matched his season high with 20 points while registering his third double-double of the season.
Playing in his 13th career game, Walker reached double figures for the first time.
Hield had seven assists in the first half and finished with eight — three more than his previous season high and one shy of his career-best mark. He committed just one turnover in 36 minutes.
The Pacers shot 55.1 percent from the field, while Sacramento shot 51.8 percent.
Huerter’s seven 3-pointers were one shy of his career high.
Sabonis’ 12 triple-doubles are tied with Nuggets center and reigning NBA Finals MVP Nikola Jokic for the most in the NBA this season.
You Can Quote Me On That
“They played like veterans. They played smart, tough, aggressive. This environment got wild and crazy. They kept poised, remained aggressive, and made key play after key play. Hats off to them. They’ve worked very hard. They’ve put in some tough hours in the G League, some tough travel, etc. Tonight it really paid off.” -Carlisle on Walker and Sheppard’s contributions
“We’re both hoopers at the end of the day. It’s what we do. It’s what we love to do. We work, extra shots, extra time in the gym. When our name’s called, we’ll always be ready to go.” -Walker on him and Sheppard being called upon to play big minutes
“He draws major attention out there. When he draws two guys coming off screens, he’s gotten very good at delivering the ball…Buddy’s a special player. He creates special problems out there. Even on nights when he’s not hitting shots, he changes the game.” -Carlisle on Hield’s playmaking
“T.J.’s a professional professional. When his number’s called, he comes out and he’s one of our glue guys. He does all the dirty work for us. He’s a guy that makes stuff happen. He’s a great teammate to be around. When he gets going on the basketball court, he’s tough to deal with. He’s tough as nails and one of those guys you don’t want to play.” -Hield on McConnell
“He’s one of the great backup point guards I’ve ever seen in this league. He just has a spirit, he has a compete level that is very unique…He is a defiant competitor and he’s a big part of what we’re doing here.” -Carlisle on McConnell
Stat of the Night
The Pacers are 17-3 on the season when Bennedict Mathurin scores at least 15 points.
Noteworthy
- The Pacers are now 13-3 on the season when seven or more players score in double figures.
- Turner recorded one block on Thursday to become the 63rd player in NBA history to reach 1,200 career blocks. In his ninth season, Turner continues to down Jermaine O’Neal’s franchise record of 1,245 blocks.
- Indiana is 6-2 when playing on the first night of a back-to-back, but just 1-6 on the second night of a back-to-back.
- Haliburton continued to lead all Eastern Conference guards in the latest All-Star fan voting update released on Thursday. Voting ends Saturday and the starters for NBA All-Star 2024 in Indianapolis will be announced next Thursday (Jan. 25).
Originally posted on pacers.com