Following their brutal beatdown of the San Antonio Spurs on Monday night, the Indiana Pacers entered Wednesday night riding a high, and in their game against the Utah Jazz, they kept on riding.
The Pacers absolutely destroyed the Jazz in the fourth quarter, turning what was once a close game into a second straight blowout for Indiana, who is now 5-3 on the year.
Indiana was only up by six points at the start of the fourth. However, over the course of the final period, they turned that lead into a 134-118 victory.
But as is the case with every game, there are some players who played well and others that didn’t. Let’s take a look at two studs and one dud from the Pacers’ win over the Jazz.
Stud - Aaron Nesmith
Heading into the year, Aaron Nesmith was set to lose his starting spot, and that has happened. However, it hasn’t stopped him from playing top-notch basketball.
Against the Utah Jazz, Nesmith put up great numbers, showing off why the Indiana Pacers invested in him with a new contract extension ahead of the season.
In 30:12 off the bench, Nesmith finished the game with 24 points, two rebounds, and two steals while shooting 9-of-13 from the floor and 4-of-6 from distance. His performance included 10 points in the fourth quarter alone, where he shot 4-of-5 overall and 2-of-2 from distance.
With how well Nesmith has been playing, he should be one of the key figures in the Pacers’ rotation moving forward, and based on Wednesday night, it seems as though Rick Carlisle realizes that.