Defense was the narrative for the Indiana Pacers as they escaped in Sacramento for a gutsy win to improve their record to 4-7. Fresh off a disappointing collapse the other night against the Trail Blazers, the Blue and Gold managed to keep an offensively dangerous Kings squad in check, holding them to a season-low 91 points.
The Indiana Pacers suffocated the Sacramento Kings on defense for their fourth win of the season
While the Pacers remained without Malcolm Brogdon, they compensated for their lousy offensive game by turning in one of their best defensive performances of the season. Though Indiana only shot 44.6 percent from the floor, including a measly 24 percent from behind the arc, and committed 19 turnovers, they limited Sacramento to 36.9 percent shooting overall.
Indiana controlled the game most of the way, but the fourth quarter was neck-to-neck, with the Kings briefly taking the lead before the Pacers mounted a 10-0 run of their own to lead 85-78. Sacramento fought back to make it a two-point contest, but they failed to convert on a sneaky Tyrese Haliburton triple in the final seconds.
Caris LeVert paced Indiana with 22 points, while TJ McConnell and Domantas Sabonis combined for 35 markers. On the other hand, Harrison Barnes led the Kings with 22 points. With their loss, Sacramento dropped to 5-5 on the season.
Coming up next for the Indiana Pacers will be a tough road game against the Denver Nuggets and reigning MVP Nikola Jokic at the ever-so-tough Ball Arena, but before that, here are two studs and one dud from their win over the Sacramento Kings.
TJ McConnell continues to turn his season around for the Indiana Pacers
I need to have a word with whoever told me that TJ McConnell has been quite disappointing to start the season. That impatient guy needs some sort of reprimanding.
Wait, that was me? Fine, I hereby hand in my apology.
With Brogdon out once more, TJ handed in another one of his best performances this season against Sacramento, finishing with18 points, seven rebounds, and four assists. More impressively, he played excellent defense on De’Aaron Fox, holding the lead Kings guard to seven of 19 shooting on the floor.
McConnell’s spirited playmaking from last season was pretty manifest on this game. While he didn’t finish with a sterling assist total, the way he methodically attacked and stirred the defense with his perpetual pushing of the pace by circumventing on the paint, caught the Kings sleeping on multiple occasions, such as this one:
While Brogdon shouldn’t be out for any longer, McConnell’s sustained play at the point guard position will be crucial for the second unit that has been sorely lacking the same jolt that it normally provides. Luckily, by most indications, his recent uptick in production should be here to stay.
Yet again, Brad Wanamaker was a negative factor for the Indiana Pacers against the Kings
Brad Wanamaker‘s name is literally poetic, since he also wanna make me mad almost every night. I’m entirely against provoking hateful echoes, but to say that it’s been that bad, objectively bad, is just the tip of the iceberg.
It seems like the Portland game was a complete aberration when taken side-by-side with Wanamaker’s showing against Sacramento. In 11 minutes of court time, he managed to rack up three turnovers, two of which effectively pushed the Kings to flirt with the lead in the fourth quarter which they actually reclaimed later on.
For the sake of “good win, good vibes,” I’ll let this clip tell the story:
Unless Wanamaker proves that he can provide solid production, even without solid stats, in small spurts, the time for him donning an Indiana Pacers uniform could be over before he knows it.
The Indiana Pacers are reaping the benefits of Myles Turner’s career-year
Finishing a game-high +22, Myles Turner continued his two-way growth this season for the Indiana Pacers, anchoring the team’s defense to make the game as ugly as it could be for the Kings’ normally radioactive scoring attack while being as efficient as he can be in his streamlined, yet more defined role on offense.
The biggest knack on Turner before was that his shot blocking prowess was oftentimes negated by his below-average rebounding. However, that has not been the case this season, particularly in this contest, with Myles corralling a season-high 15 rebounds. Overall, he’s been averaging 8.5 boards per outing in the current campaign, far from his previous individual best of 7.3 per game way back in his sophomore year.
Turner’s presence inside limited Sacramento to 42 points in the paint, in contrast to their average of 49 per game so far this season. The Kings’ playmakers simply had a hard time connecting with their rim runners in pick-and-rolls. Even when they were able to read the defense, Myles had no problem going up to contest their speedy guards:
On offense, Turner remained rock-solid from three, cashing in on two of his five tries. On the season, he’s now shooting a career-high 41.1 percent from downtown. As long as Myles provides consistent two-way production, as he has been in the last five games, the Indiana Pacers should be slated for more wins this season to improve their standing in the East.