A team in poor shape (Sacramentothree defeats in a row) welcomes a team in form (Indianathree victories in a row), in a poster that is always special when we remember the exchange Tyrese Haliburton (14 points, 8 passes) – Domantas Sabonis (17 points, 21 rebounds) in 2022.
On the ground, the logic of the moment was respected since the Pacers have corrected the Kings on their own floor, behind a one-sided second half and despite De'Aaron Fox (23 points, 7 assists). With seven players with more than 10 points, including Pascal Siakam (19 points, 10 rebounds), Rick Carlisle's collective is running at full speed and that now makes four victories in a row for Indy, very close to the Top 6 in the East.
The two teams are neck and neck at halftime (52-52). However, it is not a fault for the Kings to have had a ten point lead, thanks to the aggressiveness of De'Aaron Fox in scoring coupled with the construction in the paint of a Domantas Sabonis already in “double- double “.
But the Pacers, even weighed down by their ball losses or poorly secured rebounds, rely on their 3-point skills and a well-established team to gain momentum and therefore pick up the score.
Between the successive successes of Myles Turner, Tyrese Haliburton and Pascal Siakam, and more generally an attack which has not finished hitting the mark at high percentages, Indiana is starting to break away to take around fifteen points in advance. The Sacramento players, lacking offensive inspiration, let go. The public starts to whistle, the Indy bench (Ben Sheppard – TJ McConnell) does it again and Rick Carlisle can quickly open his bench, while the gap reaches almost thirty points (122-95).
WHAT TO REMEMBER
– Indiana does not slow down. Since the five-day “mini-break” due to the NBA Cup, the Pacers have been winning over again and putting in a string of good performances. On a series of four victories in a row, their best of the season, Rick Carlisle's players rely on an ever more efficient collective and an attack which wastes less and less, both when shooting and with the ball. Enough to go to Golden State, starting this evening “back-to-back”, with full confidence. And get closer to 50% success.
– Sacramento collapses, fans roar. You only have to see the crestfallen expressions of the supposed strong men of the Kings, on the bench five minutes from the end, to understand that the crisis looms dangerously in town. It could even be that we are already in the middle of it, when we see that the Californian public does not hesitate to express its dissatisfaction with whistles. We can understand this, considering the second half offered by Mike Brown's players, incapable of producing anything coherent in defense but especially in attack, when they were not saved by offensive rebounds.
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How to read the stats? Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; O = offensive rebound; D=defensive rebound; T = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; +/- = Point differential when the player is on the field; Pts = Points; Eval: player evaluation calculated from positive actions – negative actions.
