After a rough stretch of basketball, the Indiana Pacers seem to be on the way back up, thanks, in part, to a lineup change made by head coach Rick Carlisle.
Indiana has now won two games in a row, the latest of which being a 120-104 victory over the Chicago Bulls on Thursday night. The new starting five is Tyrese Haliburton, Andrew Nembhard, Aaron Nesmith, Jalen Smith, and Myles Turner.
Before their current two-game win streak, the Pacers had gone 1-6 in their last seven games, but now, they are in the process of working their way back up the Eastern Conference standings.
Let’s take a look at who the two studs and one stud were in the Pacers’ big win over the Bulls.
Stud - Myles Turner
Following the In-Season Tournament (and during the final against the Los Angeles Lakers), Myles Turner was getting hounded on defense, with the likes of Anthony Davis, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Karl-Anthony Towns all putting up big numbers.
And while he may not have always been the primary defender against those guys, as the Indiana Pacers’ big man in the middle, he’ll often be the fall guy.
Against the Bulls, Turner was awesome. He finished the game with 24 points, six rebounds, and three blocks while shooting 8-of-12 from the field and 1-of-2 from behind the three-point line.
Chicago is without Nikola Vucevic, who is set to miss roughly a week, so the Bulls sent out Andre Drummond. And while Drummond did well on the glass, pulling down 16 rebounds (including seven offensive boards), Turner was still a +30 on the night.
Dud - Andrew Nembhard
For the first portion of the season, Andrew Nembhard was coming off the bench for the Indiana Pacers. Fresh off an impressive rookie campaign, he’s been playing a big role.
But with the new lineup chances made by Rick Carlisle, he’s been propelled into the starting lineup alongside Aaron Nesmith and Jalen Smith, who were also primarily bench players for the majority of the season.
His presence next to Tyrese Haliburton gives the Pacers some added offensive creation, but unfortunately, he just wasn’t very effective against the Chicago Bulls on Thursday night.
Nembhard ended the contest with eight points, three rebounds, and four assists while shooting 4-of-13 from the floor and 0-of-4 from behind the three-point line.
To make matters worse, Nembhard was a team-low -19 on the night. He was the only member of the Pacers' starting lineup who had a negative +/-, and one of just two players on the team with a +/- of -10 or worse.
Instead, it was Buddy Hield who earned the majority of the shooting guard minutes, as he poured in 19 points off the bench while making five three-pointers.
In the long run, having Nembhard in the starting lineup seems like it should produce solid results, however, against the Bulls, his minutes just didn’t translate well.
Stud - Tyrese Haliburton
Tyrese Haliburton has been struggling as of late, particularly with his efficiency. Ever since the close of the In-Season Tournament, Haliburton hasn’t been able to find his footing in that area.
His playmaking has continuously come in clutch for the Indiana Pacers, but with him struggling to score efficiently, they haven’t been able to win at the same clip they were to start the year.
Luckily for the Pacers, Haliburton refound his shot against the Chicago Bulls, and if that weren’t enough, his passing was just as elite. He had what may have been his best playmaking game of the season.
Haliburton finished the night with 21 points, three rebounds, 20 assists, two steals, and one block while shooting 7-of-17 from the floor and 6-of-13 from behind the three-point arc.
With his performance, Haliburton put up the second-most assists in Pacers franchise history, with Jamaal Tinsley being the only guy in front of him, as he had 23 assists in a game in 2001.
Indiana’s dependence on Haliburton is more clear than ever, as even though Myles Turner, Buddy Hield, and Bennedict Mathurin had solid scoring nights, Haliburton’s impact was as clear as day.
Putting up 20 assists in a game is absurd, and in the case if Haliburton and the Pacers on Thursday night, they needed it.