Zachary Engberg
2 min read • December 10, 2022
Posted in
One of the surprises of the first third of the season has been the young Pacers, who are 14-12 powered by dynamic guards Tyrese Haliburton and Bennedict Mathurin.
Haliburton returned from a groin injury on Wednesday and had 26 points, 15 assists, and three steals on 14 shots and is listed as questionable for Saturday's game.
Second-year guard Chris Duarte suffered an ankle sprain on Nov. 4 and the Pacers are 9-7 in the 16 games without him.
Forward Isaiah Jackson will likely miss the game with a knee injury, but Indiana has been adept at tagging players in-and-out of the lineup, including Buddy Hield, Aaron Neismith, Andrew Nembhardt, Jalen Smith, and Oshae Brissett.
The Pacers went 1-1 against the Nets in a two-game set in late October and Mathurin scored 32 points on 16 shots and was one of four Pacers – including Haliburton, Jackson, and Hield – to score 17-plus points and grab five-plus rebounds.
Brooklyn is 9-3 since Kyrie Irving returned on November 20 and beat the Hawks on Friday night.
The Nets announced that they will be without eight players, including Irving, Kevin Durant, Ben Simmons, and Seth Curry, for Saturday's game against the Pacers.
Patty Mills, Edmond Sumner, Cam Thomas, Day'Ron Sharpe, and Yuta Watanabe – who has missed the last 10 games with a hamstring strain – are likely to play significant minutes.
Thomas, Sumner, and Mills have each played in 20-plus games this year and Watanabe averaged 9.9 points and 3.6 rebounds on 61.5% shooting and 59% from three in his last 11 games before the injury.
Sumner played 21.7 minutes and scored 10.6 points with 2.4 rebounds and 1.5 steals over an eight-game stretch during Irving's suspension and while Simmons was slowed by left knee soreness.
In the 308 minutes that Kevin Durant has been off the floor this season, the Nets have shot 4.7% less efficiently, rebounded 3% less often and scored 8.6 fewer points per 100 possessions than the 995 minutes he's played.
Brooklyn has also been an improved defense, forcing significantly more turnovers and allowing 3.6 fewer points per 100 possessions.
Written by Zachary Engberg
