by Wheat Hotchkiss
Game Preview
The Pacers have already secured a spot in the Knockout Rounds of the In-Season Tournament (IST), but that still have something significant to play for in their final Group Play game on Friday night. Indiana (8-6) could potentially secure homecourt advantage for the Quarterfinals with a victory over Detroit (2-13).
A win on Friday would move the Pacers to a perfect 4-0 in Group Play. The two group winners with the best record in Group Play get to host a Quarterfinal game on either Dec. 4 or 5. If all three group winners finish 4-0, point differential in group games will be used to seed the teams and determine who gets to host the Quarterfinals.
Indiana could potentially lock up homecourt with a win on Friday plus either a loss by Boston or losses by both Miami and Milwaukee. Even if neither of those scenarios play out, they would still be in good position to secure a top two seed at 4-0. If they lose on Friday and finish Group Play 3-1, their odds of hosting a Quarterfinal would drop dramatically.
The Pacers are coming off a difficult 132-131 loss on Wednesday night in Toronto. The Blue & Gold had plenty of chances to win that one. They led by seven with under four minutes to play, gave up the lead but moved back in front on Tyrese Haliburton’s jumper with 31 seconds to play. Out of a timeout Scottie Barnes got an and-one on the other end, but the Pacers had two looks to tie or win the game, including a potential game-winning three from Buddy Hield that didn’t fall at the buzzer.
The final shot aside, it was a stellar night for Hield, who has thrived over his past two games since moving into the starting lineup. The veteran sharpshooter had scored a total of just five points over his previous two games before Tuesday, but busted out of a slump in a big way over his first two games this year as a starter. Hield scored 24 points and went 6-for-6 from 3-point range in Tuesday’s IST victory at Atlanta that secured Indiana’s place in the Knockout Rounds, then tallied a season-high 31 points and five assists while going 7-for-12 from 3-point range on Wednesday against Toronto.
It has been a rough start to the season for the Pistons, who have yet to win a game in November. After dropping their season opener, they won their next two contests on Oct. 27 and 28, but have lost 12 straight games since that date, including all three of their IST contests.
Detroit will be well-rested on Friday at least. The Pistons last played on Monday. And although they’ve struggled to get wins, the Pistons do have some promising young talent on their roster.
Point guard Cade Cunningham — the first overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft — is averaging a team-high 21.4 points and 7.3 assists per game.
And rookie forward Ausar Thompson — the fifth overall pick last June — has turned heads with his two-way play. The 6-6 Thompson is averaging 11.3 points, 10.1 rebounds, 1.7 blocks, and 1.1 steals. He currently ranks 12th in the NBA in rebounding and 10th in blocks, impressive achievements for any wing — let alone a rookie.
Projected Starters
Pacers: G – Tyrese Haliburton, G – Bruce Brown, F – Buddy Hield, F – Obi Toppin, C – Myles Turner
Pistons: G – Cade Cunningham, G – Jaden Ivey, F – Ausar Thompson, F – Isaiah Stewart, C – Jalen Duren
Injury Report
Pacers: Andrew Nembhard – questionable (sore lower back), Aaron Nesmith – questionable (right wrist sprain)
Pistons: Bojan Bogdanovic – out (right calf strain), Joe Harris – out (right shoulder sprain), Monte Morris – out (right quadriceps strain)
Last Meeting
April 7, 2023: Jaden Ivey and Killian Hayes combined for 57 points and 15 assists to lead Detroit to a 122-115 victory over the Pacers at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indiana’s final home game of the 2022-23 season.
Buddy Hield led the Blue & Gold with 22 points in as many minutes on Friday, going 5-for-11 from 3-point range off the bench.
The Pacers started five players all 24 or younger in the contest. Every member of the young first unit reached double figures, led by 16 points from rookie guard Bennedict Mathurin, but it wasn’t enough to add up to a victory.
Ivey finished with 29 points, five rebounds, and nine assists, while Hayes added 28 points, four boards, six assists, and four steals to help lead the Pistons to victory. It was just the second win for Detroit in 24 games, with both victories in that span coming against Indiana.
Noteworthy
- The Pacers traditionally always host a home game on the Friday night after Thanksgiving. Indiana has won its last three games and eight of its last nine contests held on “Gold Friday.”
- Pacers rookie forward Jarace Walker and Pistons rookie guard Marcus Sasser were teammates last year at the University of Houston. Walker was the eighth overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, while Sasser was the 25th overall selection.
- Pacers center Myles Turner hit two 3-pointers on Wednesday to pass Billy Keller for fourth place on the franchise’s career 3-point list. Turner has made 507 career 3-pointers, while Keller made 506 for the Blue & Gold.
- Hield needs two points on Friday to reach 9,000 for his career.
- Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle is one win away from tying Frank Vogel (250 wins) for the second-most coaching victories in franchise history. Hall of Famer Slick Leonard holds the franchise record with 529 career wins.
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