After a crushing one-point defeat at the hands of the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday night, the Indiana Pacers bounced back with a post-Thanksgiving win over the Detroit Pistons on Friday.
The Pistons have been reeling, with their loss to the Pacers marking their 13th in a row, so Indiana really just had to come in, take care of business, and pick up a victory. They pounced on the down-in-the-dumps Pistons.
For what seems like the first time in forever, Tyrese Haliburton is not a stud nor a dud on this list, but it felt wrong to write an article about this game without mentioning his crossover on Ausar Thompson. (WOW.)
HALIBURTON DROPS AUSAR THOMPSON 🤯 pic.twitter.com/YSFrIQsA11
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) November 25, 2023
All that being said, let’s dive into the game and dole out the two studs and one dud from the Pacers’ 136-113 win over the Pistons.
Stud - Andrew Nembhard
We’re going to start off with a bit of an odd pick, as Andrew Nembhard only ended up playing 19:55 in this game - the third-fewest minutes on the team.
However, while he didn’t get a ton of playing time relative to the rest of the team, he was extremely impactful in his minutes. And considering Haliburton was questionable with a right wrist sprain heading into this game, the Pacers needed Nembhard.
Nembhard ended the night with 13 points, three rebounds, four assists, and one steal while shooting 6-of-13 from the floor and 1-of-3 from behind the three-point line.
His impact was felt at all times, as not only did he put up solid counting stats, but Nembhard also finished the game with a whopping +25 +/-, which ranked third on the team.
Dud - Buddy Hield
Buddy Hield was recently reinserted into the Indiana Pacers starting lineup, and it’s not hard to see why, as when he’s on, he’s one of the best three-point shooters in the league.
Bennedict Mathurin has been having an up-and-down season, and placing Hield into the starting lineup gave the Pacers a bit more floor-spacing while also allowing Mathurin to return to a role he’s familiar with.
Unfortunately, Hield wasn’t great in the Pacers’ win over the Detroit Pistons, but a quick glance at the box score wouldn’t necessarily tell that story to someone who didn’t watch the game.
Hield ended the game against Detroit with 18 points and four rebounds while shooting 6-of-11 from the floor and 3-of-6 from behind the three-point arc. He played 28:02 of action.
However, while his counting stats and efficiency seem solid, Hield was a -7 on the night and was the only Pacers player who recorded a negative +/- in the game.
The reason? His defense. Hield has never been a great defender, and that fact showed up in this game. He just wasn’t able to stay in front of guys, and it was hurting an already poor Pacers defense.
Hield didn’t even end up playing in the fourth quarter, demonstrating how much he was struggling. Not a great night for the veteran.
Stud - Myles Turner
If there’s been one constant presence on the Indiana Pacers over the years, it’s Myles Turner. The longest-tenured Pacers by a while, he continues to be one of the team’s most impactful players to this day.
Against a Detroit Pistons team with some solid big men, including Jalen Duren, Isaiah Stewart, and Marvin Bagley III, the Pacers needed Turner to step up in this game.
Luckily for Indiana, Turner managed to do just that, making an impact all over the court and helping lead the Pacers to a much-needed bounce-back victory.
Turner finished the game against the Pistons with 23 points, 10 rebounds, two assists, one steal, and an impressive five blocks while shooting 8-of-14 from the floor and 1-of-3 from beyond the three-point arc.
It was a big turnaround game for Turner, too, as his second half was much different from the first. In the first half, Turner had zero rebounds, meaning he snagged 10 in the second.
Head coach Rick Carlisle spoke about it after the game, noting that Turner made it a point to take on that challenge in the second half, and it paid big-time dividends.
In a game with two of the league’s top rebounders - Duren and Ausar Thompson - the Pacers needed Turner. And not only did he step up in that department, but he churned out an all-around solid game, too.