Despite mounting a 23-point lead, the Indiana Pacers fell victims to the Charlotte Hornets on the road, dropping their season opener 123-122 despite great performances from Domantas Sabonis, Chris Duarte and Malcolm Brogdon.
The Pacers seemingly had complete control of the game despite missing key players until midway in the third quarter, where the Hornets ignited a furious rally to take control of the game in the fourth frame, leading by as much as 10 at the early junctures of the final period.
While Indiana recovered and took back the lead with 12.4 second left, Charlotte sunk two crucial free throws and grasped the win after Sabonis missed a turnaround hook shot to end the game, giving the Pacers their first loss of the season.
Sabonis tallied 33 points and 15 rebounds in a losing effort, while rookie Chris Duarte, who started in place of the injured Caris LeVert, finished with 27 markers on six three-point makes. Brogdon, despite an off shooting night, managed to rack up a double-double of his own with 28 points and 11 assists. On the other hand, LaMelo Ball paced the Hornets with 31 points, 9 rebounds and 7 assists while running mate Gordon Hayward ended the game with 27.
While the game ultimately ended in Charlotte’s favor, some positive things (and some not so much) can be extracted from the Indiana Pacers’ performance to begin their campaign. Here are three observations from their season opener against the Hornets.
Indiana Pacers rookie Chris Duarte came out firing from all cylinders
With projected starting shooting guard Caris LeVert out with an injury, coach Rick Carlisle put rookie Chris Duarte in his stead—and he certainly made the most of the given opportunity.
The rookie swingman finished the game with 27 points in 32 minutes on an efficient nine of 15 shooting from the field, including an impressive six of nine on triples. While a slight injury scare briefly halted his fiery shooting early, Duarte showed impressive chops in the clutch, sinking two crucial three-pointers late in the game.
Even if the Indiana Pacers eventually regain their injured key players, Duarte is making a solid case for himself to remain a significant part of Rick Carlisle’s rotation moving forward. Although he still made some erratic, yet expected mistakes on defense, his scoring touch and solid perimeter defense are top-notch among his peers. At this juncture, Duarte has easily been the best rookie in the league.
Coach Rick Carlisle’s rotation to begin the season for the Indiana Pacers is quite daring and questionable
Despite the Indiana Pacers missing two starters, head coach Rick Carlisle opted to keep his rotation firm and short, playing only eight players in the entire game. Aside from the usual starters, with Duarte and Justin Holiday as fill-ins for LeVert and TJ Warren, only TJ McConnell, Jeremy Lamb and Torrey Craig got second unit duty against the Hornets.
Unfortunately, the coaching staff’s short rotation did not pay off. McConnell and Craig both registered negative +/- while Lamb, despite ending in the positive point differential, had a poor shooting night and similarly failed to contain his man on defense.
Given the Pacers’ abundance of options, coach Rick’s rotation to begin the year is questionable. Oshae Brissett, pegged by most to assume a substantial mantle this season, was a DNP. Ditto for Goga Bitadze and Isaiah Jackson, as Sabonis and Myles Turner sapped all of big man minutes. Moving forward, the coaching staff may need to be more open to playing multiple bodies, especially with an injury-prone roster.
Domantas Sabonis is ready to lead the Indiana Pacers once again with his ever-growing offensive arsenal
As the Indiana Pacers’ lone All-Star from the previous two seasons, it is not difficult to see why the bulk of the Blue and Gold’s success hinges on Domantas Sabonis‘ play in the upcoming season. Fortunately, with his monstrous start to the season, the Lithuanian big man is not only a virtual lock to claim a third straight All-Star nod, but he also seems poised to rally the Pacers in their supposed comeback campaign.
Last season, Sabonis easily proved why he is among the best offensive big men in basketball, but the lack of a three-point shot placed him below his flashier counterparts. However, that seems to be no longer the case, with Domas converting on four three-pointers, easily his most makes in a single game since donning the Blue and Gold.
Though Domas has a subpar game in the assists department, he was clearly trying to be more assertive on the restricted area. Eventually, his dimes should return to their usual numbers. If he can improve his rim defense, which is still lacking, in addition to his robust offensive profile, we could be looking at a complete package from the center position.