The Indiana Pacers take on the Dallas Mavericks on January 19th for the third annual Basketball Day Indiana.
The third annual Basketball Day Indiana is set for January 19th, and this year’s opponent will be the Dallas Mavericks.
The news was announced on Tuesday and just like previous years, it’s a long and exciting day of basketball for the Hoosier State. The Pacers, the men’s programs at Butler Indiana, Purdue, and Valparaiso, as well as several high school programs across the state, are slated as part of the action.
“Basketball Day Indiana fits perfectly with our brand of ‘We Grow Basketball Here,’ which celebrates and promotes our state’s beloved game at all levels,” Rick Fuson, president and COO of Pacers Sports & Entertainment said in a press release. “We embrace the opportunity to host the best of girls and boys high school basketball in Bankers Life Fieldhouse and conclude the festivities that evening when our Pacers host Dallas. We thank all of our partners for making this a must-see day of hoops, whether on FOX Sports Indiana or in person.”
While there aren’t any players on Indiana’s roster that were born in the state, having former IU star and now NBA All-Star Victor Oladipo should help make up for that absence.
How the Indiana Pacers fared on past games on Basketball Day
The first Basketball Day set the Indiana Pacers against the Portland Trail Blazers and it looked like the first very Indiana holiday would end on a sour note.
But then the Pacers erased a 20-point deficit late in the game as they held Portland to just 13 points in the fourth quarter. With 28 of the own, Indiana pulled out a 118-111 win over the Trail Blazers.
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While Damien Lillard and CJ McCollum combined for 67 points, they didn’t get much help from their teammates as they were Portland’s only double-digit scorers. Paul George led the way for the Pacers with 37 points while Thaddeus Young made 6 of his 8 3-pointers in a 24-point effort. That was before his wrist injury and when he lost his jump shot.
The second Basketball Day was a bit less dramatic as the Pacers got the win over the Chicago Bulls in a 125-86 beating.
Oladipo returned from injury to score 23 points while grabbing 9 rebounds to go with his 6 assists. He shot 9 of 11 from the floor and 2 of 3 from deep to put his stamp on his return.
But an injury to Bojan Bogdanovic opened the door for Damien Wilkins to start in his final NBA game. It may have been a bit awkward in a way to be told you would be released the next day but asked to start, but Wilkins made the most of it.
Wilkins’ 11 points came thanks to a trio of 3-pointers from deep. He also had a pair of rebounds, an assist, and a block in his swan song.
We’ll have to wait and see if this Basketball Day produces any of its own special moments.