Long series in the NBA are always a source of suspense. If a team wins a lot, then everyone wonders who will bring down the rocket. And if a training is in limbo, everyone wonders which one will not be able to beat the bad student. The Pacers knew it, traveling to Detroit, with the Pistons on 19 losses in a row before this meeting.
The Indiana players, who inflicted their 20th loss in a row on the Michigan franchise, could have been trapped. Because Rick Carlisle's men were returning from Las Vegas, after losing the final of the NBA Tournament against the Lakers. It felt like a complicated match…
“It’s one of the most difficult matches possible,” notes the Pacers coach for theIndy Star. “We are coming out of a week with a lot of emotion, with a match on Saturday evening, a trip and everything else. Our players did the work to stay together and stay calm. »
Bennedict Mathurin as savior
The glitter and success of the Tournament are now behind the Pacers, who must return to their daily bread: the regular season. To avoid a hangover, Tyrese Haliburton and his teammates held a meeting Monday afternoon.
“No one else had to do what we did. No one had a match to prepare so quickly, from Monday,” recalls the playmaker, since the Lakers resume this Tuesday evening after their coronation. “We didn’t expect this schedule. We knew that this match was a trap, that we really had to show our professionalism. We talk about maturity in this group, we have shown that. We were supposed to win this match, we did it. »
And for once, it's not entirely thanks to Tyrese Haliburton, who delivered 16 assists but only scored 14 points at 5/12 shooting and lost 7 balls. The man of the match is Bennedict Mathurin, author of 30 points – his season record – at 10/17 shooting, 8 assists and 7 rebounds.
“He had one of his best matches here in Indiana,” remarks Rick Carlisle. “We know that he can score, that he can generate points. His vision, his ability to give the ball away was enormous and it shows the work he has done and his real progress. »
| Shots | Rebounds | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Players | MJ | Min | Shots | 3pts | L.F. | Off | Def | Early | Pd | Bp | Int | Ct | Party | Pts |
| Tyrese Haliburton | 18 | 34.4 | 52.5 | 44.1 | 88.4 | 0.7 | 3.4 | 4.2 | 12.1 | 2.2 | 1.0 | 0.7 | 1.1 | 26.9 |
| Myles Turner | 20 | 27.4 | 50.6 | 32.2 | 77.8 | 1.8 | 6.3 | 8.0 | 1.4 | 1.4 | 0.7 | 2.1 | 3.3 | 17.1 |
| Buddy Hield | 20 | 25.4 | 45.0 | 38.8 | 84.6 | 0.8 | 2.5 | 3.3 | 2.7 | 1.5 | 0.9 | 0.6 | 2.1 | 13.3 |
| Obi Toppin | 20 | 24.7 | 61.2 | 36.8 | 79.4 | 1.0 | 2.2 | 3.2 | 1.4 | 0.8 | 0.7 | 0.6 | 2.0 | 13.0 |
| Bennedict Mathurin | 20 | 24.7 | 43.6 | 35.8 | 78.9 | 1.2 | 2.8 | 3.9 | 1.9 | 1.4 | 0.6 | 0.2 | 2.0 | 13.0 |
| Bruce Brown, Jr. | 20 | 31.8 | 47.2 | 35.6 | 84.3 | 0.5 | 3.9 | 4.4 | 2.8 | 1.2 | 1.2 | 0.3 | 2.4 | 12.6 |
| Aaron Nesmith | 18 | 24.3 | 54.1 | 44.3 | 65.7 | 0.8 | 2.2 | 3.1 | 1.0 | 0.6 | 0.9 | 0.6 | 3.4 | 11.0 |
| Jalen Smith | 14 | 15.4 | 70.7 | 66.7 | 74.1 | 1.4 | 4.1 | 5.5 | 0.9 | 1.1 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 2.1 | 10.0 |
| Tj Mcconnell | 14 | 14.3 | 56.1 | 16.7 | 68.8 | 0.6 | 1.8 | 2.4 | 4.2 | 1.0 | 0.9 | 0.1 | 1.1 | 7.4 |
| Andrew Nembhard | 17 | 18.1 | 45.6 | 24.3 | 66.7 | 0.5 | 1.2 | 1.7 | 4.1 | 1.3 | 0.9 | 0.1 | 1.9 | 7.0 |
| Jordan Nwora | 5 | 14.6 | 41.2 | 26.7 | 75.0 | 1.2 | 1.8 | 3.0 | 1.2 | 1.4 | 0.8 | 0.2 | 1.6 | 7.0 |
| Isaiah Jackson | 12 | 13.0 | 58.5 | 0.0 | 70.8 | 1.4 | 2.8 | 4.3 | 0.8 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 1.6 | 2.8 | 5.4 |
| Jarace Walker | 5 | 8.1 | 38.9 | 0.0 | 100.0 | 0.2 | 1.4 | 1.6 | 1.2 | 0.2 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.8 | 3.4 |
| Ben Sheppard | 9 | 6.5 | 40.9 | 33.3 | 100.0 | 0.1 | 0.4 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.7 | 2.8 |
| Daniel Theis | 1 | 8.4 | 25.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 2.0 |
