Pacers shorthanded as they conclude road trip in Minnesota
The Indiana Pacers wrap up their last big road trip of the season tonight to a Timberwolves team that's won 8 in a row. Key players are expected to be out. Plus, Chris Denari was celebrated.
UPDATE: 6:45 p.m. ET: In addition to Haliburton, Siakam, and Nesmith, Turner and Furphy have also been ruled out for the game.
Happy Monday … and St. Patrick’s Day.
The Pacers (37-29) have to be excited to return home after tonight’s game in Minneapolis, where they’ll conclude a stretch with six of seven games on the road. They have not been in the same city for more than a couple days in a row over the last 10 days, barely worth it to unpack. (I have a rule: if you stay more than one night, always unpack.)
Saturday was certainly disappointing.
They trailed most of the game in Milwaukee, then rallied from down 17 with 5:47 left to within three after a 3-pointer from Andrew Nembhard with 12.7 seconds left. Ultimately, the bench didn’t do enough — outscored 35-18.
And you know I’m not a big believer in plus/minus (or predictions), especially in small sample sizes, it did help paint the picture. Every bench player was negative -- and both T.J. McConnell and Bennedict Mathurin was -34. That’s rough.
“I can't give you the exact detailed reasons, but some nights it's tough on the starters, some nights it's tough on the bench,” coach Rick Carlisle said postgame. “I'll have to look at it. Maybe I'm subbing too many guys at once. I'm not sure, but I know we're certainly capable of better and we're gonna have to look at it and fix it.”
Also, how many times do you see Giannis Antetokounmpo foul out? Not often, but he did in this one after dropping 34 points.
Aaron Nesmith had one of the best game of his career, scoring a career-high 30 points in 36 minutes.
“He plays with a pure heart,” Carlisle said. “He goes hard. He’s willing to give up his body. He's just all about the team and the 30 points to him doesn't mean much if the team doesn't win the game and that's a special kid.”
However, because of the 126-119 loss and the Bucks winning three of four meetings this season, the Pacers lost the tiebreaker — if it even comes to that. They are a half-game back from the Bucks in the standings, in fifth, and just one game up on the Detroit Pistons.
The Pacers finish off this big road trip Monday night. Then after playing the Timberwolves, they’re at home for 11 of their final 15 games. That begins on Wednesday with a five-game homestand — and eight of their next 10 games.
The Timberwolves are the hottest team in the league right now, winners of eight straight games. They’re led by reigning Western Conference Player of the Week Anthony Edwards, who is averaging 28.4 ponts, 4.9 rebounds, and 4.5 assists per game in March. All wins.
They have a healthy roster going into the matchup whereas the Pacers do not.
Tyrese Haliburton (low back soreness), Aaron Nesmith (left ankle injury management), Myles Turner (left hip contusion), and Johnny Furphy (illness) are all officially questionable to play.
Meanwhile, Pascal Siakam will miss his first game since being acquired more than a year ago — due to personal reasons. (He was a nominee for Eastern Conference Player of the Week, which was won by Chicago's Coby White.)
From what I’ve been told, Haliburton and Nesmith are going to be out as well.
The Pacers are making it a priority to get players adequate rest right now in an attempt to be as healthy as possible entering the playoffs. They’ve lost six straight meetings against the Timberwolves with their last win coming in 2021.
The Pacers trust their depth, they believe in their depth, and they lean into it. Right now, they need to demand more from that bunch. More consistency, more productivity, and more juice than they’re currently providing.
“We trust our guys off the bench, and we need them for the next game, and this is who we are,” Carlisle added. “This is a big part of our identity.”
I’d also like to see Jarace Walker, a big-bodied and versatile forward, mixed in. He was playing really good basketball, active and aggressive, during his latest stint. But now he’s outside the rotation and didn’t even seen the court in garbage time against the 76ers.
It’s four games in six days this week, including a two-game series at home against the Nets to close the week.
It’s go time. The playoffs are exactly one month away…
Chris Denari Reaches Memorable Milestone
The TV voice of the Pacers was honored over the weekend.
Chris Denari officially called his 1,500th game on Saturday in Milwaukee.
He’s in his 19th season as the TV play-by-play announcer and he’s been paired alongside analyst Quinn Buckner the entire time. Pacers (and previously, Fever) fans are lucky to have CD on the call.
I appreciated the tribute to Denari in the pre-game show, which is produced by Ken Sothman. That’s a lot of time to do anything for one organization — and at a high level.