The Indiana Pacers hit the road once again on Friday night, this time making a stop to face the Washington Wizards.
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Embarking on an extensive journey, the Indiana Pacers hit the road once again on Friday night, this time making a stop to face the Washington Wizards. The Pacers found themselves away from their home base in Indianapolis for the fourth consecutive game, encompassing their participation in the NBA in-season tournament held in Las Vegas. Their latest venture concluded with a 140-126 defeat against Milwaukee on Wednesday.
In their defeat, the Pacers conceded a record-breaking 64 points to Giannis Antetokounmpo, establishing a new benchmark for the Milwaukee Bucks. This loss marked the fourth occasion this season that Indiana has permitted their opponents to score at least 140 points in a single game.
The Bucks’ most prolific quarter unfolded in the fourth, accumulating 39 points. A significant portion of this surge occurred as Pacers coach Rick Carlisle chose to deploy his bench players during that period.
For the Wizards, Davis (calf injury), Omoruyi (concussion), Rollins (knee injury), Shamet (neck injury), and Wright (knee injury) will not be playing the game. Similarly for the Pacers, Nembhard (knee injury) and Smith (heel injury) will be sitting this one out.
A quintet of Pacers made impactful contributions off the bench, each notching at least eight points. Bennedict Mathurin had an impressive night, recording 14 points with a flawless 10-of-10 performance from the free-throw line, while Aaron Nesmith concluded the game with 12 points. T.J. McConnell and Isaiah Jackson both secured nine points, and rookie Ben Sheppard added eight to the tally. In a noteworthy milestone, fellow rookie Oscar Tshiebwe registered his inaugural career point and secured a rebound in the unfortunate loss.
Indiana’s scoring diversity has positioned them with the most potent offense in the NBA this season. Seven Pacers have consistently contributed, each averaging at least 11.2 points across a minimum of 20 games.
At the forefront of this offensive prowess is Tyrese Haliburton, boasting a team-leading 26.1 points per game and an NBA-leading 12.0 assists. His stellar performance spearheads an offense that currently tops the league, averaging an impressive 128.4 points per contest.
The Wizards find themselves yielding an average of 127.0 points per game, coupled with the NBA’s most elevated opponent field-goal percentage at 50.6%. On Wednesday, their losing streak extended to six games with a 142-122 defeat against the New Orleans Pelicans. This setback marked the fifth instance in which the Wizards allowed their opponents to score at least 142 points. Among these games was a season-opening 143-120 loss to Indiana on October 25th.
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