After a one-game bounce-back against the Charlotte Hornets, the Indiana Pacers have gone right back to their recent losing ways, falling to the Memphis Grizzlies.
In Ja Morant’s second game back after his suspension, the Grizzlies star had Memphis rolling, but it was actually Desmond Bane who dominated the Pacers, pouring in 31 points.
The Grizzlies were up big in the first half and managed to climb their way back before halftime, but just ended up falling back into a hole as the game went on.
Memphis ended up taking home a 116-103 victory over the Pacers, who are now 1-5 in their last six regular season games. Let’s take a look at two duds and one stud from the Pacers’ loss to the Grizzlies.
Dud - Tyrese Haliburton
At the beginning of the year, Tyrese Haliburton was one of the hottest names in basketball. He was one of the biggest reasons the Pacers were able to jump out to such a great start, leading their still-elite offense.
Unfortunately, ever since the Pacers’ In-Season Tournament finals loss to the Los Angeles Lakers, Haliburton’s scoring efficiency has been terrible, and it’s hurting the Pacers.
Haliburton ended the game against Memphis with 17 points, four rebounds, and 14 assists but shot just 7-of-19 from the field and 2-of-12 from behind the three-point line.
He still managed a +1 in the +/- column, but if the Pacers want to get back to their winning ways, he needs to snap out of the shooting slump he’s currently stuck in.
Stud - Obi Toppin
It’s been an up-and-down season for Obi Toppin, who joined the Indiana Pacers this past summer by way of an offseason trade with the New York Knicks.
Offensively, Toppin’s elite athleticism has paired nicely with Tyrese Haliburton, giving the point guard a top-tier lob threat to work with. However, his three-point shot has been wildly inconsistent.
Defensively, Toppin has left a lot to be desired, as he’s not quick enough to keep up with opposing players on the perimeter, and he’s not quite strong enough to guard bigs.
That said, against the Memphis Grizzlies, he had himself a nice night, leading the Pacers in +/- at a +9 on the night and putting in work on the offensive end.
Toppin ended the game with a team-high 22 points to go along with five rebounds, one assist, and two steals while shooting 8-of-14 from the field and 5-of-9 from behind the three-point line.
Indiana’s starting lineup put up a solid shift against the Grizzlies, and Toppin was a big part of that, draining his triples on a night the Pacers desperately needed him to. It just wasn’t enough to get the job done.
If Toppin can improve on the defensive end and nail down his three-point shot, his starting job should be safe. Whether or not he can do that is another question in and of itself.
Dud - Bennedict Mathurin
The season of inconsistency continues for Bennedict Mathurin, who seems to always be one of the most impactful players on the court for the Indiana Pacers - whether that be a good or bad thing.
After a promising rookie campaign, Mathurin was given the starting job heading into this season. Unfortunately, after some early-season struggles, he lost that job to Buddy Hield, who has had some struggles of his own.
With Hield struggling at times, some Pacers fans have pleaded for Mathurin to be reinstated into the starting lineup. Unfortunately, performances like his one against the Memphis Grizzlies are a reason not to do that.
Mathurin finished the contest with six points, four rebounds, three assists, and one steal while shooting just 3-of-10 from the field and 0-of-4 from beyond the three-point arc.
But to make matters worse, Mathurin was a -22 on the night, which was the second-worst mark on the team behind only Aaron Nesmith, who was a -23.
In just 18:32 of play when Mathurin was on the court, the Pacers got outscored by 22 points in a game they lost by 13. That’s not exactly a great sign.
The sophomore slump is real for Mathurin, as he just hasn’t been able to string together consistent performances. When he’s great, he’s great. But when he’s not, he’s really not.