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An old rivalry from the '90s reignites when the Indiana Pacers (27-21, 6th in the East) travel to take on the New York Knicks (31-17, 3rd in the East). Both teams were active with midseason trades making a push to improve for the playoffs. The Pacers just lost in Boston 129-124, but did cover the spread as 7.5-point underdogs. The Knicks just took care of business against the Jazz, winning 118-103 as just 2.5-point home favorites. This is the second of three matchups between these teams this season, the Pacers won the first matchup by 14 at home back in December. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 from Madison Square Garden in New York City.
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The Indiana Pacers dropped their last game to the Celtics, but won their previous three matchups as they cling onto the 6th spot in the Eastern Conference. The 6-seed is the last spot that does not have to play in the play-in tournament, so they do not want to fall in the standings. The Pacers had a balanced attack against the Celtics, as seven of the nine players who checked in reached double figures. Indiana was led by Aaron Nesmith with 26 points and 12 rebounds, but numbers way above his averages, in a close loss.
“Aaron Nesmith is a player that every team in the NBA wants.”
Tyrese Haliburton on Aaron's impact after his career night in Boston. pic.twitter.com/NmPm5VMbhm
— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) January 31, 2024
Tyrese Haliburton will be a starter in the All-Star game this season, he leads the NBA in assists with 12.5 per game as a 6'5 point guard. Haliburton is averaging 23.3 PPG to lead the Pacers and is the top outside shooter on the team with 3.3 made threes per game on 39.7% shooting from deep. Haliburton recently missed a few games, but returned against Boston and finished with 13 points and 10 assists. Pascal Siakam is a solid second star that can be the leading scorer on any given night, he is averaging 21.6 PPG and 7.4 RPG in his seven games with Indiana. Myles Turner is a strong center that can shoot from the outside and defend the rim, he is averaging 17.2 PPG and 7.0 RPG. Aaron Nesmith has been starting recently, he is averaging 12.4 PPG from the wing.
Buddy Hield provides another shooter on the wing, he is averaging 12.3 PPG in the starting lineup. The top recent performers off the bench have been Obi Toppin, Jalen Smith, and A ndrew Nembhard. The Pacers rank 2nd in the NBA in offensive efficiency and 26th in defensive efficiency according to dunksandthrees.com. The Pacers play at the 2nd fastest tempo in the NBA.
Injury Report:
Questionable: Bennedict Mathurin, TJ McConnell