Tag: Indiana Pacers

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NBA (Basketball)

Pacers aim to gain momentum and capitalize on the struggling Blazers

Indiana Pacers (NBA)

The Portland Trail Blazers are hoping to finish their five-game road trip on a positive note and head home for Thanksgiving feeling better, both physically and mentally, when they face the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday night.

The Blazers are struggling after a tough 123-98 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday. Five regular players—Scoot Henderson, Kris Murray, Matisse Thybulle, Donovan Clingan, and Deandre Ayton—were all sidelined due to injuries.

Things got worse during the game when two starters, Jerami Grant and Robert Williams III, also got injured. Grant hurt his left knee and Williams suffered a concussion.

With Portland already dealing with injuries, it’s possible that as many as seven players could be out for the final game of their trip, which is the fifth game in eight days.

The loss of Grant might be the hardest blow for the team. He had big performances earlier this season, scoring 34 and 37 points, when the Trail Blazers surprisingly swept the season series against the Pacers, despite having only 21 wins last year.

After Monday’s tough loss, Portland’s coach, Chauncey Billups, reflected on the game and how things went wrong. He said, “We hung in. Couldn’t make shots. We just, at the end of the day, didn’t have enough bodies.”

Portland did have two of their top young players, Anfernee Simons and Shaedon Sharpe, playing together for only the seventh time this season against the Grizzlies. However, they couldn’t repeat their strong performance from a previous game in Houston, where they combined for 49 points. On Monday, they struggled, shooting just 6-for-26 and scoring only 20 points.

Portland Trail Blazers and Houston Rockets

The Trail Blazers will need to play at their best against the Pacers, who have been scoring a lot recently. They’ve scored 111 or more points in their last seven games, including 115 and 114 in their last two wins over the Washington Wizards and New Orleans Pelicans.

In the game against the Wizards, the Pacers saw strong team scoring. However, Tyrese Haliburton led the way with 34 points and 13 assists after struggling in recent games. He had a much better performance, shooting 12-for-23 from the field, which was a welcome change after shooting just 32.9% in his previous five games. Haliburton said, “It’s part of basketball. I’ve just gotta keep trusting myself, working hard. I’ll figure it out. Just put my head down, keep working. I’ll figure it out.”

Another player who has been playing well is Pascal Siakam. He contributed 36 points, 13 rebounds, and 13 assists in the Pacers’ two-game winning streak, making 13 of his 27 shots (48.1%) in those games.

The Trail Blazers haven’t faced the Pacers since January, when Siakam made his debut for Indiana in Portland. In that game, Siakam scored 21 points. Portland won that game, which was their 12th win of the season, but after that, they went on to lose 32 of their next 41 games.

Thanks to Siakam’s performance, the Pacers were able to recover from their loss to Portland, finishing the season with a 23-17 record and making it to the Eastern Conference Finals.

The Pacers haven’t swept the Trail Blazers in a season series since 2008.

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NBA (Basketball)

The Pacers edge out the Pelicans, even with Elfrid Payton recording 21 assists

Indiana Pacers and New Orleans Pelican

Tyrese Haliburton scored 34 points and provided 13 assists, helping the Indiana Pacers hold off the New Orleans Pelicans 114-110 on Monday night in Indianapolis.

Myles Turner added 17 points, Pascal Siakam scored 14, and Bennedict Mathurin and Quenton Jackson each contributed 12 points for the Pacers. Turner and Mathurin also grabbed nine rebounds each.

Elfrid Payton recorded 21 assists, the most by any player this season, and scored 14 points for the Pelicans. Rookie Yves Missi had 16 points and 13 rebounds, Trey Murphy III scored 24 points, and CJ McCollum, returning from a 13-game absence due to a strained adductor, added 23 points. New Orleans lost its fifth straight game.

Murphy and McCollum started the third quarter by hitting consecutive baskets, tying the game at 61.

Haliburton responded with a three-pointer to break the tie. Missi then made two dunks, which led to six lead changes in the quarter.

Indiana gained a seven-point lead, but Brandon Boston Jr. hit a three-pointer to bring New Orleans within 87-83 at the end of the third.

Tyrese Haliburton and Taurean Prince in the 2nd half

Jeremiah Robinson-Earl opened the fourth quarter with a three-pointer, and Payton added two baskets and two assists, giving the Pelicans a 95-93 lead.

Turner made a three-point play, and Jackson and Haliburton hit back-to-back three-pointers to put the Pacers ahead 102-95 with 5:28 left.

McCollum scored five straight points to tie the game at 104, but Haliburton responded with a go-ahead three-pointer with 3:08 remaining. The Pelicans got within one point twice but couldn’t catch up.

Siakam scored the final five points of an 8-0 run that gave the Pacers an 18-8 lead in the first quarter. Daniel Theis’ field goal ended the run before Indiana scored six straight to take a 14-point lead.

Murphy scored five points during a 15-5 run that brought New Orleans within 29-25 by the end of the first quarter.

Siakam hit a three-pointer to begin the second quarter, and he added two assists as the Pacers built a 39-31 lead. The Pacers extended the margin to 55-38 as the Pelicans made only three field goals in a span of more than five minutes.

Murphy scored nine points, and New Orleans ended the half with a 19-4 run to close the gap to 59-57 at halftime.

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NBA (Basketball)

Pacers surge in the final minutes to defeat Wizards, extending their losing streak to 11 games

Indiana Pacers and Washington Wizards

Pascal Siakam scored 22 points, and Tyrese Haliburton added 21 points to help the Indiana Pacers beat the Washington Wizards 115-103 on Sunday in Indianapolis.

Moses Brown came off the bench to score 15 points for the Pacers, who had lost three straight games and five of their last six. Myles Turner also contributed with 10 points and 10 rebounds.

For the Wizards, Alexandre Sarr posted a double-double with 17 points and 14 rebounds. Bilal Coulibaly also scored 17 points, while Corey Kispert, Malcolm Brogdon, and Kyshawn George each added 15 points. Kyle Kuzma finished with 10 points. Washington was without its top scorer, Jordan Poole, who missed the game due to left hip soreness.

Indiana shot 47.7 percent from the field, including 12-of-27 (44.4 percent) from three-point range. Haliburton made 5 of his 11 three-point attempts. Washington shot 45.6 percent overall, but struggled from beyond the arc, making just 11-of-35 (31.4 percent).

Washington closed the gap to 98-96 early in the fourth quarter on a 3-pointer by Carlton Carrington, but Siakam quickly answered with a three of his own to make it 103-96 with 8:06 remaining.

After Washington pulled back within five points, Obi Toppin hit a three-pointer to push the Pacers’ lead to 108-100 with 3:47 left. Siakam followed with a layup to extend the lead to 10 points, and the Wizards couldn’t get any closer than seven points for the rest of the game.

Indiana Pacers (NBA)

Haliburton’s three-pointer gave the Pacers a 76-73 lead with 6:44 left in the third quarter, and Siakam’s free throws helped Indiana build its biggest lead of the night, 78-73.

Haliburton hit his fourth three-pointer of the quarter to extend the lead to 81-73, and two more free throws by Siakam increased the lead to double digits. The Wizards then went over four minutes without scoring.

Washington responded with a 5-0 run from Kispert to cut the deficit to 88-84, but Indiana still led by five going into the final quarter. Haliburton scored 14 points in the third.

The Wizards went into halftime with a 59-57 lead after Sarr’s dunk. The first half was closely contested, with 10 lead changes and no team leading by more than four points.

Brown led all Pacers scorers with 11 points in the first half, while four Wizards players had 10 points each.

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NBA (Basketball)

Pacers turn attention to defense before facing struggling Pelicans

Indiana Pacers (NBA)

The Indiana Pacers handed the Washington Wizards their 11th straight loss with a 115-103 win on Sunday night.

Now, the Pacers will look to extend the New Orleans Pelicans’ losing streak to five games when the two teams meet in Indianapolis on Monday night.

Indiana, which had lost three games in a row during a winless road trip to Toronto, Houston, and Milwaukee, was much better defensively against Washington. The Pacers had allowed 130, 130, and 129 points in those previous losses but held the Wizards to just 16 points in the fourth quarter.

“We got better defensively,” said Pacers coach Rick Carlisle. “We were better at keeping their drivers square in front of us, and we made some good things happen offensively.”

Pascal Siakam scored 22 points, and Tyrese Haliburton added 21 to help lead the Pacers, who had seven players score in double figures.

Indiana improved to 5-2 at home, even though they were missing three key players due to injuries: Andrew Nembhard, Aaron Nesmith, and Ben Sheppard.

“Right now, we’re looking for anybody with energy that will run and will give the best possible effort defensively,” Carlisle said.

The Pelicans are hoping to break their losing streak as they slowly start getting some injured players back on the court.

Brandon Ingram, the team’s leading scorer, returned from an ankle injury and played in the 112-108 loss to the Golden State Warriors on Friday, after missing one game. Jordan Hawkins also returned after missing seven games due to a back injury.

Tyrese Haliburton
Tyrese Haliburton (NBA)

“I had a minute restriction on me, but I felt like I got up and down a lot,” Hawkins said. “Still trying to get my conditioning right but it felt good.” Hawkins scored six points in 20 minutes of play.

Ingram finished the game with 18 points and seven assists in 36 minutes.

“He’s battling through some bumps and bruises right now,” said Pelicans coach Willie Green. “We’re putting a lot on his shoulders. He’s been doing a really good job of coming in every day and getting his work, getting his treatment, and keeping himself available to get on the floor and help his team.”

Trey Murphy III has missed the second game of two recent back-to-back sets as he works through a hamstring injury. He had already missed the first 10 games of the season due to injury. In the five games Murphy has played, his point total has steadily increased, reaching a high of 24 points against Golden State.

Green praised his team’s “game-plan discipline and execution” in the loss to the Warriors but added, “Unfortunately, in the NBA, there are just no moral victories.”

Pelicans guard CJ McCollum, who has missed 13 games due to a strained adductor, hopes to return to action on Monday.

Dejounte Murray, Zion Williamson, Herbert Jones, and Jose Alvarado are all still sidelined indefinitely.

Since defeating the Pacers 125-118 on Nov. 1, the Pelicans have won only one of their last 11 games. Williamson had 34 points and 10 assists, while Ingram added 26 points and seven assists in that game. For the Pacers, Sheppard scored 20 points, Bennedict Mathurin added 19, and Siakam chipped in 16.