by Wheat Hotchkiss
All eyes are on the Pacers this week as they descend on Las Vegas for the Semifinals of the inaugural In-Season Tournament.
After knocking off the East-leading Boston Celtics in Monday’s Quarterfinal in front of a packed house at Gainbridge Fieldhouse and a national television audience, the Pacers (11-8) will now face another of the East’s top teams in Vegas. Two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks (15-6) advanced to the Semifinals with a 146-122 victory over the Knicks in Tuesday’s other East Quarterfinal.
The Pacers and Bucks have met once earlier this season, with the Pacers prevailing 126-124 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
All-Star guard Tyrese Haliburton was his usual self in that game, tallying a double-double with 29 points and 10 assists and going 5-for-9 from 3-point range, including the go-ahead three with 1:29 to play. Center Myles Turner also had a strong performance with 21 points, six boards, and four assists while going 4-for-9 from beyond the arc.
But the most notable Pacers performance from that first matchup came from second-year guard Bennedict Mathurin, who scored a season-high 26 points and collected his first double-double with 11 rebounds. Mathurin went 9-for-18 from the field, 3-for-7 from beyond the arc, and 5-for-6 from the free throw line, but just as importantly, was locked in defensively in crunch time. Mathurin forced a couple stops against Antetokounmpo in the final minutes, including a steal in the final minute to help seal the victory.
In the weeks since that game, Mathurin has moved from the starting lineup back into a sixth man role, where he was highly effective as a rookie last season. But he had another strong performance in Tuesday’s Quarterfinal, tallying 16 points off the bench while knocking down a season-high four threes.
The Pacers will need to find a better way to slow down Antetokounmpo on Thursday. The Greek Freak wreaked havoc in his last game against the Blue & Gold, scoring 54 points and pulling down 12 rebounds while going 19-for-25 from the field and 16-for-18 from the free throw line. He was also a two-way force in Tuesday’s Quarterfinal win over New York, tallying 35 points on 15-of-22 shooting, eight boards, 10 assists, and three steals.
Keeping the 6-11 Antetokounmpo out of the paint and off the free throw line is easier said than done, but expect Indiana to make some adjustments from the last matchup in an attempt to slow him down somewhat.
Antetokounmpo will have more help this time around, however. All-Star guard Damian Lillard missed the first meeting in Indiana with a calf injury, but will be on the floor against Indiana in Vegas. The Bucks acquired the seven-time All-Star in a blockbuster move over the summer to pair him with Antetokounmpo and give them two of the league’s top offensive threats.
Through his first 19 games in Milwaukee, Lillard is averaging 25.6 points and 6.9 assists. He is shooting just 35.2 percent from 3-point range on more than eight attempts per game, but is one of the most prolific shooters in league history (he currently ranks sixth all-time in career threes made) and always a threat to pull up from anywhere inside the halfcourt line. Lillard had 28 points and seven assists in Tuesday’s win over the Knicks, while going 5-for-7 from long distance.
The Pacers have a star point guard of their own in Haliburton, who has been sensational all season long, but especially in In-Season Tournament play. The 23-year-old is averaging 28 points, 13.4 rebounds, and 5.2 rebounds over five IST games while shooting 50.5 percent from the field and 46.4 percent from 3-point range. At this point, he feels all but certain to land a spot on the All-Tournament Team and is one of the favorites for In-Season Tournament MVP should the Pacers beat the Bucks to reach the Championship game.
On the other side of the bracket, Zion Williamson and the New Orleans Pelicans will take on LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday night at 9:00 PM ET. The two Semifinal winners will advance to the Championship game on Saturday night to compete for the inaugural NBA Cup.
Projected Starters
Pacers: G – Tyrese Haliburton, G – Buddy Hield, F – Bruce Brown, F – Obi Toppin, C – Myles Turner
Celtics: G – Damian Lillard, G – Malik Beasley, F – Khris Middleton, F – Giannis Antetokounmpo, C – Brook Lopez
Injury Report
Pacers: Jalen Smith – out (left knee bone bruise/left heel contusion)
Bucks: Pat Connaughton – out (right ankle sprain), Jae Crowder – out (left adductor surgery)
Last Meeting
Nov. 9, 2023: All-Star guard Tyrese Haliburton had 29 points and 10 assists and drilled the go-ahead 3-pointer in the final minutes, while second-year wing Bennedict Mathurin tallied his first career double-double with 26 points and 11 rebounds and came up with a huge steal against Giannis Antetokounmpo late to help seal a 126-124 victory at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
Antetokounmpo surpassed 50 points with over 10 minutes to play, but the Pacers found a way to slow him down when it counted most. With All-Star guard Damian Lillard sidelined by a sore right calf, Antetokounmpo did the heavy lifting for Milwaukee, amassing 54 points and 12 rebounds while going 19-for-25 from the field and 16-for-18 from the free throw line.
“The only way you really grow as a team in this league is to be battle-tested under tough circumstances,” Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said. “Tonight there were some very tough circumstances and our guys did a tremendous job of (displaying) their collective will and hanging in there. Nobody ever dropped their head. They stayed positive. It was all about finding a way to get the next stop, the next score, (and) winning the game.”
Myles Turner finished with 21 points, six rebounds, and four assists in the victory for Indiana, going 4-for-9 from 3-point range. Bruce Brown had a strong all-around game, tallying 11 points, nine rebounds, seven assists, and two steals. Buddy Hield added 11 points off the bench, while fellow reserve Andrew Nembhard scored 10.
Khris Middleton had 19 points in the loss for Milwaukee, Malik Beasley added 13, and Bobby Portis tallied 11 points and eight boards off the bench.
Noteworthy
- Thursday’s Semifinal games count towards the regular season standings, meaning Indiana will now play five games against the Bucks this season. They are scheduled to meet in Milwaukee next week on Dec. 13, then will wrap up the season series with a home-and-home set with games in Milwaukee on Jan. 1 and at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Jan. 3.
- The Pacers have won two of their past three games against Milwaukee dating back to last March. Prior to that, the Bucks had won 10 straight games and 14 of 15 against Indiana.
- Though they are longtime division rivals, the Pacers and Bucks have met just twice in the postseason, squaring off in the first round in both 1999 and 2000. Indiana won both series.
- A couple factors that have been key predictors in the Pacers’ success this season are balanced scoring and 3-point volume. Indiana is 10-2 on the season when six or more players reach double figures and 9-3 when making 15 or more 3-pointers.
Broadcast Information (TV and Radio Listings)
TV: ESPN – Mike Breen (play-by-play), Doris Burke (analyst), Reggie Miller (analyst), Lisa Salters (sideline reporter)
Radio: 93.5/107.5 The Fan – Mark Boyle (play-by-play), Eddie Gill (analyst), Pat Boylan (studio host)
Originally posted on pacers.com