Indiana Pacers close out 2022 with impressive win over Los Angeles Clippers; Tyrese Haliburton and Myles Turner shine
The Indiana Pacers have often used the word resilient to describe themselves this season, and their recent stretch of play has been the perfect encapsulation of why. On December 18, the team blew a late lead against the New York Knicks and fell to 15-16, their first time being under .500 in a while. They had to respond.
They have done that, and then some. Since then, the Pacers are 5-1, and they have been excellent in the clutch in many games since losing to the Knicks. The five wins are against quality teams — Boston, Miami, Atlanta, Cleveland, and tonight, the Los Angeles Clippers. Indiana is playing outstanding basketball right now and just closed their year on a high note by taking down LA.
"This group is showing a lot of maturity and not letting some bad losses kind of pile up. The coaching staff is unbelievable as well," veteran guard T.J. McConnell said of the Pacers recent play. He added that he's been impressed by the team's ability to recover from their low points.
Indiana is rolling. They're tied for the fifth most wins in the Eastern Conference after taking down the Clippers, and their victory over LA showed many parts of the team at its best.
Buddy Hield was shooting the ball well, as he's done often recently. He hit five threes, including three early to get the team off to a strong start. The second unit did its job and helped Indiana carry a seven-point lead into halftime.
The Clippers played well in the third frame and erased Indiana's lead, but center Myles Turner kept the ship steady. He had 13 of his team-high 34 points in the quarter and punished Los Angeles' small ball lineups. Without the eight-year veteran, the Pacers give up the lead, and the momentum, during that stretch.
"I think we did a good job of playing our game tonight," Turner said of the Pacers playing well when the Clippers went small. He noted that it's important that Indiana doesn't slow down in those moments, and they didn't tonight.
Turner was brilliant all night, and he was physical with Ivica Zubac down low. That was important for the blue and gold — Zubac had 29 rebounds against the Pacers earlier in the season but had just seven tonight.
Indiana still had to close. They fell behind early in the fourth quarter, and Clippers star Paul George was hot. LA was up 116-110 with 5:27 to go and had assumed control of the game.
In recent games, that has been Tyrese Haliburton's time to shine. Tonight was no different. He had 13 points over the final five-and-a-half minutes to guide a Pacers comeback, including a crafty bucket in the lane with 57 seconds left to give his team the lead. They never looked back and held on to win 131-130.
Haliburton was brilliant down the stretch. He traded blows with George, but it was Haliburton's team who emerged victorious after he finished with 18 points in the final frame alone and looked like the best player on the court. He has improved significantly in the clutch in recent weeks and has turned the Pacers into a totally different team.
"In that fourth, I knew what time it was," Haliburton said after the game on his late scoring that the team needed. "It's a feel thing. It's just feeling what a team needs in that moment. Today we needed some energy. We needed a boost from me," he added later.
Haliburton finished with 24 points, seven rebounds, 10 assists, and four steals in the win. He was excellent. Aaron Nesmith (16), Hield (18), and Bennedict Mathurin (15) also found success scoring the ball. Despite 45 points from Paul George, the Pacers held on to win.
Indiana closed out 2022 with a 20-17 record. That's six more wins than they had at New Years last season, and they will look to continue their strong play on Monday when they host the Toronto Raptors to open up 2023.
- Report: Myles Turner and Indiana Pacers open up contract extension talks. CLICK HERE.
- Aaron Nesmith is in a groove for the Indiana Pacers: 'Just playing free, playing to my strengths.' CLICK HERE.
- Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton won't be stopped by more defensive attention. CLICK HERE.
- Pacers center Isaiah Jackson focusing on the simple things to stay engaged and be effective. CLICK HERE.
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