Police union calls decision to scrap gunshot detection system 'short-sighted'

Four observations: Pacers snap four-game losing streak with win over Thunder

Dustin Dopirak
Indianapolis Star

INDIANAPOLIS -- The Pacers were playing again without their two top players with the season drawing to a close, but snapped a four-game losing streak with a 121-117 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Friday night.

The Pacers improved to 34-44, still in 12th in the Eastern Conference and on the brink of postseason elimination, down 3 1/2 games to the 10th-place Bulls with four games left on their schedule. The Thunder fell to 38-40. They sit in 10th place in a Western Conference playoff race that is still wide open with just over a week of games left. Their lead over the 11th-place Mavericks decreased to 1/2 game.

Here are four observations.

Pacers Rick Carlisle:'It's possible' Tyrese Haliburton, Myles Turner don't play again

T.J. McConnell, Andrew Nembhard make critical plays

The Pacers may not have had their All-Star with Tyrese Haliburton sitting out yet again, but they got excellent production from the two men who played in his stead.

Rookie Andrew Nembhard continued to show growth at the position as the starter in games when Haliburton hasn't played. He scored 18 points on 7 of 16 shooting, knocking down three 3s, and dished out six assists.

Meanwhile backup T.J. McConnell continues to not only lift up the second unit but also add an edge to the first unit whenever he's paired with them, setting a standard for energy level even as the season comes to a close and it becomes more apparent that the Pacers will not be playing beyond April 9. The feisty 31-year-old scored 21 points on 10 of 15 shooting, knocking down a 3-pointer and finishing with eight assists, and chasing down nine rebounds, coming through with critical plays down the stretch to put the game away.

"He just had the motor running, which he always does," Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. "He was running down loose balls, he was getting rebounds, he was pushing it. He was many times the facilitator on offense. His attitude was one of the big reasons we were able to win."

Buddy Hield returns with 13 key points

Buddy Hield said that sitting out the last two games with the flu was "like prison." Though he was no longer symptomatic, he still felt the toll of his illness in his first game back on Friday.

"I felt it in my lungs a little bit," Hield said. "I felt a little weird. Coming off the flu, you're trying to get your mind and everything situated and get locked in. You have the crowd and you're trying to get your legs under you. Everything just feels weird. I think my teammates and the coaching staff, everybody put me in great spots. I was able to be myself."

Hield came off the bench, but hit a first-quarter 3-pointer and started to get some kind of rhythm. He hit some shots but also made a point to facilitate for the younger players on the floor. He made 5 of 12 field goals and 3 of 8 3-point attempts and also dished out five assists.

"It meant a lot to be back," Hield said. "Just to be out there, see the fans, hear the ball bounce, be a part of a team and not be home in prison. I felt like I was in prison. It was fun. That's why I always say never take the game for granted. When something takes you away from it, it means a lot to be back."

Thunder score in transition, but can't shoot from outside

The Pacers entered Friday night's game leading the NBA in fast break points so Thunder coach Mark Daigneault spoke at length in his pre-game press conference about what it would take to slow the Pacers down. However the Pacers had far more trouble stopping the Thunder.

With Shai Gilgeous-Alexander pushing the pace and scoring 39 points, the Thunder finished with 31 fast-break points to the Pacers 11. Their relentless drives both in transition and in the halfcourt gave the Thunder 72 points in the paint to the Pacers' 46.

That said, the Thunder couldn't make anything happen from outside and that ended up being their demise.

The Thunder shot 47.7% from the floor, mostly keeping up with the Pacers, but they were 4 of 30 from beyond the arc. The Pacers weren't great from outside, making 12 of 41, but the outside shooting edge turned out to be critical.

Jalen Smith, Isaiah Jackson shine again

The Pacers enjoyed the rare opportunity on Friday night of being the team with the bigger lineup.

The Thunder start just one player as tall as 6-9 in center Jaylin Williams and he played just 15 minutes. Without him in the lane to deal with, young centers Isaiah Jackson and Jalen Smith found it easy to both score and rebound.

Jackson and Smith continue to get all the minutes with Myles Turner out with a sore left ankle, possibly for the rest of the season. They've made sure the Pacers are still getting production at that position. Smith posted a double-double with 12 points on 5 of 10 shooting and 15 rebounds and Jackson finished with 13 points on 4 of 4 shooting and four rebounds. Smith grabbed a rebound in the final 10 seconds that helped put the game away.

"When things got tough and he wasn't starting anymore," Carlisle said, "instead of dropping his head and complaining and having poor body language, he kept his head high, he kept competing, he kept supporting guys, all the guys on the team but particularly guys who were taking that position, and he kept himself ready. And when an opportunity came, he was ready and he has lifted his game to another level through his experience."

Thanks largely to those two, the Pacers got a rare win on the glass. They outrebounded the Thunder 56-45 got 20 offensive rebounds to Oklahoma City's 11 and 21 second-chance points to the Thunder's 19.