This is as Easy as it Will Get for the Indiana Pacers

The Indiana Pacers are heading into the easiest stretch left in their season from now until early February. Let’s take a look and determine expectations for the next 14 games.

The Indiana Pacers are once again at .500 after pulling together their first 3-game win streak of the season.

If they want to finally get over the hump and rise above that middling mark, there’s no better time to do it than now.

Their next 14 games come against teams with a combined record of 203-260 (.438). Record-wise, they’re favored in 12 of them —the Rockets and Jazz being the exceptions.

While the Jazz game comes on the road on the second night of a back-to-back, the Rockets matchup is much more favorable; it’s at home with a day of rest between it and the Pacers’ home game against the Kings.

Here’s a quick overview of each of the upcoming contests:

Brooklyn Nets (January 5, Home)

The winning streak shouldn’t stop at three for the Pacers. The Nets have struggled all season and now are hurting even more without their starting point guard in Jeremy Lin. The Nets have had a few days of rest (their last game was on Monday), but it would be a huge disappointment to drop this one at Bankers Life.

New York Knicks (January 7, Home)

The Knicks are crumbling with a losing streak that’s currently at six games. This will be the second night of a back-to-back for New York, with the first coming in Milwaukee on Friday, against a Bucks team who already drained the Knicks last night in their narrow victory at Madison Square Garden. The Pacers have lost to the Knicks already this season, but under these circumstances it’s difficult to think this won’t be an extremely favorable matchup that should end up in the W column.

Denver Nuggets (January 12, Neutral)

This is where things get weird. The Pacers travel to London next week to take on the Nuggets at the O2 arena — an international trip that has never been taken by Indiana before in regular season play. It’s hard to say what effect this might have on the team in the week or so following the Global Game, so it’s worth keeping an eye on during this part of the stretch. As for the game itself, the Nuggets are riding a 3-game losing streak but seem to have found rhythm in their budding star Nikola Jokic. The Pacers should be favored, but the Nuggets could be a surprise here.

New Orleans Pelicans (January 16, Home)

As long as there are no aftereffects from their trip across the pond, this shouldn’t be a difficult task for the Pacers at home. The Pelicans did beat the Pacers earlier in the season, but this will be the 5th and final game of their Eastern Conference road trip, so the schedule isn’t doing them any favors.

Sacramento Kings (January 18, Away)

The first of a short 3-game road trip, the Pacers will be taking on a well-rested Kings team, who will not have played since January 15. Indiana should be favored, but the home crowd could tip the scales in Sacramento’s direction.

Los Angeles Lakers (January 20, Away)

Despite the early-season excitement for the Lakers, this young team just isn’t quite there yet. They’ll be well-rested and at home, but the Pacers should have the advantage. The Pacers won their previous matchup this season 115-108.

Utah Jazz (January 21, Away)

Don’t expect much from this game. The Pacers are on the second night of a back-to-back on the road against one of the best teams in the league. A win or even a close contest would be a pleasant surprise.

New York Knicks (January 23, Home)

The Pacers finally get back home and get to see the Knicks again. Unless they pull something together this month, it should be another game where the Pacers find themselves in a position to get a win.

Minnesota Timberwolves (January 26, Away)

This is a bit of a toss-up to predict. We’re getting pretty far into the future, so it’s safe to say both of these teams will be a bit different than they are right now. The Pacers possess the better record and will have a bit of rest but the Wolves will be at home.

Sacramento Kings (January 27, Home)

The Pacers quickly fly home to face the Kings on the second night of a back-to-back. Back-to-backs are never fun, but they should still have a fighting chance against this squad.

Houston Rockets (January 29, Home)

Likely the toughest team the Pacers will face in this stretch (depending on how you rank the Jazz), the Rockets and James Harden will be no easy task. But, it’s at home, and the Pacers won’t be on the second night of a back-to-back, so there’s always a chance.

Orlando Magic (February 1, Away)

The Pacers have had the Magic and former head coach Frank Vogel’s number this year, winning both of their previous matchups by double-digits, even holding the team to 69 points in November. This one will be in Orlando, but there’s little reason to believe the results will be different.

Brooklyn Nets (February 3, Away)

If the Pacers can keep their heads on straight, this should be a victory, even in Brooklyn.

Detroit Pistons (February 4, Home)

Back-to-backs still suck. But it is a home game, and the Pacers should be able to compete with these Pistons.

Overall, the Pacers are looking at a stretch where they can realistically go around 10-4 just by playing to their standards on paper. Anything less than at least 8-9 wins would be a pretty big letdown, and any wins beyond 10 would be impressive, as they’d need to either win every game they’re favored in and are well-rested or win a couple of games where they’re on a back-to-back or playing a superior team.

Running off of the 10-4 number, the Pacers would be sitting at 28-22 heading into the final few games before the All-Star break.

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Based on current winning percentages, that would put them at the 4 seed, where many smart people (myself not included) predicted them to finish at the start of the year.

And if they can’t do it now, then it would be extremely hard to do later. Those final few games before the All-Star break? Oklahoma City, Cleveland, Washington, Milwaukee, San Antonio, Cleveland and Washington.

The schedule doesn’t lower in intensity after the break, either, with plenty of tough talent and a 5-game road trip to boot in the final few months of the regular season. If the Pacers want a decent seed for the playoffs, they need to give themselves some room for error, and right now is their best chance.

Next: Paul George is the NBA’s Best Shooter in the Clutch

There are plenty of reasons to believe this squad can do it, but we’ll just have to see for ourselves — starting tonight against the Nets.