2 Studs, 1 dud from Indiana Pacers big-time win over Washington Wizards

Stud - TJ McConnell

Tyrese Haliburton got hurt in the Indiana Pacers’ recent win over the Boston Celtics. He went down in the second quarter, and Indiana was down, but the rest of the team picked up the slack and earned an impressive win.

Bennedict Mathurin, Buddy Hield, and Aaron Nesmith hit some clutch threes for the Pacers, but in that game, it was TJ McConnell’s energy that completely changed the course of the contest for Indiana.

And on Wednesday night against the Washington Wizards, McConnell played a big-time role once again, leading the way for the Pacers off the bench.

McConnell finished the game with 14 points, two rebounds, eight assists, and two steals while shooting 7-of-10 from the floor, cooking the Wizards in every sense of the word.

The veteran point guard played 21:49, which was just the seventh-most on the team, but he still got his buckets and managed to lead the team in assists.

With Nembhard struggling, McConnell’s performance was much-needed, and as the Pacers navigate life without Haliburton, they’re going to need him to play well in a lot more games moving forward.

Having a guy like McConnell on the roster who can settle things down and control the offense is a huge advantage for Indiana.