Indiana Pacers chemistry shines in victory over Washington Wizards as team returns home
INDIANAPOLIS — The Indiana Pacers returned home for the first time since the day after Thanksgiving on Friday as they hosted the Washington Wizards. The team played seven straight on the road in their longest road trip since the 1980s.
Head coach Rick Carlisle downplayed the difficulty of the trek pregame, but the team was playing their fourth game in six nights on Friday. That, too, is difficult. The home crowd was finally behind the Pacers, though, which would give them a boost that they have lacked in recent games.
Early in the game, that bost was clear. The Pacers jumped out to a 9-0 lead behind a few buckets from Buddy Hield, and they kept the score close for much of the first quarter. Given how much the blue and gold have struggled to open games, that was a win.
Indiana kept pushing and had a lead by halftime. Washington was reliant on hot shooting early, but that wore off as the game progressed — they hit just one three-point shot in the second and third quarters combined. The Pacers offense was strong in the second quarter, scoring 38 points, but it was their defensive improvement throughout the game that carried them.
"Trusting each other. Just getting back to our principles," Oshae Brissett said of the team's defensive refinements. He played for over 25 minutes of action thanks to his abilities on both ends, and he was a big part of the Pacers' bench success in this game.
In total, Washington hit just one three-point shot in the second and third quarter combined. Indiana figured out how to slow down most Wizards shooters, and it went a long way in helping the team build a lead.
Said lead was given away early in the third quarter, but a Pacers 8-0 run in less than two minutes in the middle of the frame allowed them to regain an advantage. They never trailed again. Their offense was wobbly for parts of the second half, but they defended well and held the Wizards to just 48 second-half points.
Point guard Tyrese Haliburton finished with 12 points and five assists in the second half; he guided much of the team's offense. Hield, meanwhile, had nine of his team-high 28 points in the final two quarters to help the team close out the game. He was excellent in the first half on his way to a season-high point total.
"Buddy [Hield] is an underrated basketball player," Carlisle said after the game. "He knows the game, he understands timing [and] movement." Hield is averaging 23.3 points per game in his last four games and mixed in a few quality rebounding and assist nights.
Myles Turner ended up hitting the dagger three-point shot that extended the Pacers lead to ten. They went on to win 121-111 to improve to 14-12. Turner finished with 14 points and six rebounds.
111 points allowed is the second-fewest for the Pacers in their last ten games. Defense won the game for Indiana on this night, and they are now 6-0 on the season when they concede 111 or fewer points in a game. Their defensive chemistry earned them a win.
On the other side of the ball, it was Haliburton and Hield leading the way. Hield finished with 28 points, four assists, and three steals while Haliburton had 23 points and 11 assists. They both shot the ball well from deep.
Rookie Bennedict Mathurin gave the blue and gold just what they needed off the bench, finishing with 18 points and eight rebounds. He was a team-high +18 on the night. Brissett had a solid outing too, posting 16 points and eight rebounds.
The Pacers will wrap up a five-games-in-seven-nights stretch on Saturday when they host the Brooklyn Nets. The Pacers are 2-1 against the Nets so far this season. The winner of that game will finish the night in fourth place in the Eastern Conference standings.
- Former Pacers All-Star center Domantas Sabonis on the Indiana Pacers: 'They're having a great season'. CLICK HERE.
- Inside Tyrese Haliburton's return to Sacramento and the emotions behind the game. CLICK HERE.
- Goga Bitadze discusses his season and Indiana Pacers growth. CLICK HERE.
- Orlando Magic guard Jalen Suggs on Indiana Pacers rookie Andrew Nembhard: 'He has such a high basketball IQ.' CLICK HERE.
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