The Indiana Pacers are on a roll having won four in a row against quality opponents.
Buddy Hield played amazing last night and was especially clutch in the 4th quarter, drilling 2 straight threes when the game was tight to make it 118-107 and essentially put the game away. What was encouraging to see is that Buddy not only shot the ball well but provided great playmaking down the stretch. Hield had a number of great-looking passes as well as showed great touch and craftiness around the rim, showing off more of his versatility than just shooting threes.
December was definitely Buddy’s month, as the sharpshooter averaged 18.8 PPG on a scorching-hot 51.5% from 3, and it was encouraging to see him continue the strong play into January. Buddy Hield definitely is playing at a level that may see him become part of the Pacers franchise long term.
Additionally, it appears that Bennedict Mathurin is back on track to scoring at a high rate, continuing to impress and build a case for the rookie of the year. Mathurin had 21 points in an efficient 27 minutes on the floor.
Overall, the scoring was well-balanced and this spelled defeat for the Raptors, as the Pacers were able to spread the ball around and shoot nearly 40% from three as a team. One other encouraging sign is that the team significantly won the rebounding battle (50-36). Hopefully that is a streak that will continue into the weeks/months ahead.
Looking ahead, the Pacers may be aiming to make some noise in the Eastern Conference this season, as they are 21-17 and only 5 games back from the 1 seed. With their high level of play against quality opponents recently, look for the Pacers to go 2-1, or even 3-0 if they really keep it up in their next few games versus Philadelphia, Portland, and Charolette. This team is playing with a high-octane offense as of late and showing no signs of slowing down as they prepare to make a run at the playoffs this season.
The big question is whether they will need any additional pieces to do so. Rumors have linked the Pacers to Obi Toppin, so perhaps there is still more to come on that front. The big glaring weakness on the team is at the power forward position, so more depth in that role will be big if the Pacers ever want to make a deep run in the playoffs.
Regardless of future outcome however, this team is a blast to watch.