Opening night could not have gone any better for the Indiana Pacers. In their first game of the season on Wednesday night, they pummelled the Washington Wizards, earning a 143-120 victory.
Indiana’s offense came out firing on all cylinders, and they kicked off their season with a 1-0 start. But now, they face a much bigger challenge in their second game of the year.
After spending the first game at home, the Pacers will travel one state East for a tilt with the Cleveland Cavaliers, who also won their season opener, eeking out a win over the Brooklyn Nets.
The Pacers played the Cavaliers in preseason play, but now, the game matters. Here are two good things and one bad thing to watch out for as the Pacers take on the Cavaliers.
Good – Pacers starters have more to give
It’s a weird takeaway to have after a massive win, but the Indiana Pacers starters still have more to give. They all played well, Bruce Brown above the rest, but it still feels like there’s another level they can get to.
Tyrese Haliburton put up his typical 20-point, 10-assist statline against the Washington Wizards (as ridiculous as that is), but he only took 16 shots. If he needed to, he could have shot more and taken the games into his own hands.
Myles Turner did everything he needed to against Washington, but he didn’t make any threes. If the Pacers need it, Turner could get more involved in the offense.
The same can be said about Bennedict Mathurin, Aaron Nesmith, Obi Toppin, and everyone else. Obviously, the big names got pulled in garbage time, but with how poor the Wizards’ defense was, it was hard to get a real read on the ceiling of the Pacers. It feels like they have another level, and that’s a good thing.