Pacers Notebook: A busy week and emotions pour out after second straight win
A look at the Pacers’ improvement, Jay Huff’s rise, Johnny Furphy’s status, a schedule update, Steph Curry wearing Haliburton’s signature shoe, Oladipo’s return to Indiana & more from a packed week
Good evening from downtown Indianapolis — where they weren’t kidding about this winter storm. I looked out my window hours before another Pacers home game, and the snow had just started to come down.
By late evening, a white blanket had already covered the area.
It’s been a busy week for this team, having just completed another back-to-back. More than that, it was four games in six days and three in four nights. One big contrast from the 9-to-5 world: when most people get days off, those who work in sports go into overdrive. Sports fill those gaps.
In addition to covering the Pacers, Boom, and Fever, I also do a lot of broadcasting. So on Friday, before the Pacers hosted the Wizards, I was on the sideline at Lucas Oil Stadium for two high school football state title games.
First, Pioneer vs. South Putnam in 1A, then Fort Wayne Bishop Luers vs. Cascade in 3A. It’s a fun gig I look forward to every year on the day after Thanksgiving. I was on the statewide IHSAA radio network; Pat Boylan and Jeremiah Johnson were part of the TV broadcast for 1A.
It’s a football-filled three days for workers at the stadium — three games on Friday, three on Saturday, then Colts v. Texans on Sunday.
Downtown Indy will be the place to be next Saturday, especially for IU fans.
The 7-0 IU men’s basketball team hosts Louisville at Gainbridge Fieldhouse at 2 p.m., then the undefeated (12-0) IU football team plays Ohio State in the Big Ten title game over at Lucas Oil Stadium at 8 p.m.
I’m looking forward to taking in the double-header.
Pacers Win Two In A Row…
Following the first month of the season, in which the Pacers went 2-14, they returned home to begin a favorable stretch of games at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
They opened a stretch of eight of 11 home games Monday against the East-leading Pistons and are now in the midst of a four-game homestand. A win over the Wizards, 119-86, was much-needed — both for team morale and because the Wizards just aren’t good.
Then, they followed that up with a 103-101 win over the Bulls on Saturday. Pascal Siakam sank a 14-foot jumper from the right wing over two defenders with 0.1 seconds left.
“This is why you have max players, to put the ball in their hands in those kind of situations,” head coach Rick Carlisle said postgame. “… That was really an amazingly difficult shot that he made look relatively easy.”
And then the team was overjoyed with bottled-up emotion. Tyrese Haliburton was the first to Siakam and poured water on him, then the whole team surrounded Siakam in celebration. They needed to feel this, to feel something.
The last month, losing 16 of their first 18 games was not easy on them.
Injuries impacted their season before it even began. I’m not even thinking about Haliburton, but instead the other handful of players who suffered preseason injuries. Now, they’re slowly getting healthy again.
With Andrew Nembhard sitting out Friday’s game with a quad contusion, T.J. McConnell had a big game off the bench: 14 points, four rebounds, and eight assists in just 19 minutes. Siakam (24) and Bennedict Mathurin (20) both scored 20+ points.
Over the last three games, it’s been the defense that has stood out most as they’ve held opponents to 97, 86, and 101 points. Even in a five-point loss to the Pistons, it went down to the very end. It’s no longer a run of double-digit loss like we saw a month ago.
They gave up 123.9 points per game (25th) over the first 16 games. Now, in four games this past week: 101.5, which is No. 1.
They’ve gotten healthier, made improvements, and bought into the defensive end. Success at that end typically bleeds into their offense.
Through 20 games, the Pacers have used 13 different starting lineups. Players are still adjusting to their role, new lineups, and playing without Haliburton. Offseason acquisition Jay Huff continues to make huge strides.
Huff, who started in the last two games, made his first five shots on Saturday and outscored the Chicago Bulls by himself, 14-9. He did not score the rest of the night, but that burst, in less than four minutes, set the tone for the game.
And then in the fourth quarter, he delivered three huge blocks — including a crucial one that was overturned from goaltending — in the final minutes.
“He’s done a good job and as this has gone along,” Carlisle said pregame, “he’s gotten a feel for how we play and certainly, we’ve adjusted some things.”
Huff has now reached double figures in four straight games, his numbers growing with his confidence. He also leads the NBA in total blocks with 45 and in blocks per minute (4.57).
“We always knew that we were better than we were playing, which was the most frustrating part of it,” Huff said. “It’s one thing if we don’t have a lot of confidence that we’re a good team. We knew we were a good team. There were frustrating injuries and just trying to get a rhythm, figure out changes that needed to be made. But we knew that we were gonna get there.”
The Pacers will enjoy Sunday off, then turn their attention to the Cavs and Nuggets for two more home games on Monday and Wednesday, respectively.
“We’re still in adjustment mode, but there’s some good things happening,” added Carlisle.
Steve … From the North Side
Team owner and alternate governor Steve Simon called into “The World’s Greatest Postgame Show” with Eddie White and had this to say about the team after the win over the Bulls:
