Following news of Tyrese Haliburton being sidelined for at least two weeks due to injury, the Indiana Pacers entered Friday night looking to regain momentum in the Gainbridge Fieldhouse against the Atlanta Hawks, where they have managed to win six straight games.
However, despite spurts of good play, the Pacers’ offense stalled late in the fourth quarter and narrowly lost to the visitors via a game-winning tip from John Collins, giving them their second straight loss with a tough schedule looming from here on out.
Missing Haliburton, the Indiana Pacers snapped a six-game home winning streak against the Atlanta Hawks.
Haliburton’s absence was definitely felt in this game, as Indiana’s lack of a closer doomed them late in the final frame. Not having two other starters in Myles Turner and Aaron Nesmith did not help one bit, but Haliburton, the Pacers’ leading scorer and assist man, could have easily shifted the tide to the their favor, especially with Andrew Nembhard struggling in his first game back on a ball handling-heavy role.
Nembhard went stone cold in this game, hitting just two of his 16 shots for the night. The rookie guard’s impact on the defensive end remained pretty obvious, but his sudden return to a full-on on-ball role as the lead guard after playing off-ball for the most part this season evidently took a toll on his efficiency. It’s clear that he will need some preps on the court as the main facilitator, and he should have loads of opportunities for the next couple of weeks or so
Meanwhile, TJ McConnell looked solid against Atlanta, though he was puzzlingly left out of the closing group. Still, the Pacers will look to him more to distribute the ball sans Haliburton with his constant pressure on opponents on both ends.
For the majority of the game, scoring wasn’t a problem for the Blue and Gold, thanks in large part to Bennedict Mathurin and Buddy Hield combining for 44 markets and seizing the role of primary scoring option in the starting lineup.
Elsewhere, Isaiah Jackson, Jalen Smith, and Oshae Brissett looked solid manning their undermanned and undersized frontcourt, though they will have to double down on rebounding, especially with the Memphis Grizzlies slated to come to town on the second leg of a back-to-back. Unfortunately, Chris Duarte’s shooting woes continued even with a replenished role in the opening group.
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