Game preview: Pacers at Kings

Match

After failing against the Phoenix Suns on Saturday night, the Pacers (6-3) hit the road for a five-game road trip in the Western Conference. They will begin the adventure with a fight against the Sacramento Kings (4-6) Monday night at the Golden 1 Center.

After starting the season 3-1, the Kings have lost five of their last six games, with defense becoming one of the clear factors in the slippage. In the last four games, Sacramento has allowed their opponents to average 132.5 points per game. On January 8, against the Toronto Raptors, they gave up a record 144 points in regulation time. After Saturday’s lineup, the Kings have the second-worst defensive rating in the NBA, allowing 118.0 points per 100 possessions.

Points should be enough for this game’s Blue & Gold. Thanks to its balanced scoring effort, Indiana shoots the league’s fourth best field goal percentage (48.6%) – almost on par with what Sacramento allows his first 10 games of the season (49.6%). Domantas Sabonis comes off a powerful 28-point, 22-rebound performance against Phoenix and will be looking to use that performance as a boost for this next trip. It was the first time in his career that he had recorded 20 or more points and 20 or more rebounds in the same game.

In defense, Indiana will have to keep 3-point specialist Buddy Hield under control. While averaging 14.4 points per game, Hield throws 9.8 attempts of 3 points per game. If he’s hot beyond the arc, the Pacers could be catching up on some of that play. The Blue & Gold will also need to keep an eye out for young playmaker De’Aaron Fox. The 23-year-old University of Kentucky is averaging 18 points per game, a team-high, on 45.1% shots from the floor.

Projected starters

Malcolm Brogdon

Victor Oladipo

Aaron Holidays

Domantas sabonis

Myles Turner

De’Aaron Fox

Beloved boyfriend

Harrison barnes

Marvin bagley iii

Richaun holmes

Injury report

Pacers: TJ McConnell – questionable (personal reasons), Goga Bitadze – out (sprained right ankle), Brian Bowen II – out (partial groin tear), Jeremy Lamb – out (left knee rehabilitation), Jalen Lecque – out (left ankle sprain), TJ Warren – outing (left foot stress fracture)

Kings: DaQuan Jeffries – exit (sprained left ankle), Jabari Parker – exit (health and safety protocols)

Last meeting

December 20, 2019: Indiana won a 119-105 victory over the Kings at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in their only game of the season. It was their fifth straight victory en route to collecting a 20-9 record. Seven Pacers finished in double digits. TJ Warren led all scorers with 23 points on 10 of 16 shots, Myles Turner added 17, while Domantas Sabonis and TJ McConnell each added 15 in the win.

After falling into an early hole, the Pacers’ reserves sparked the attack on Indiana. McConnell’s eight straight points helped pull Indiana down to under two at the end of the first.

From there, the bench ignited the team en route to a 38-point second-quarter performance and a 68-57 halftime lead. Blue & Gold never gave up the lead in the second half and took the win over a pair of Warren 3 points halfway through the fourth quarter.

“I thought we did a great job,” McDermott said after the second unit game. “I think it started with these first guys that came along – with McConnell, with Justin Holiday. So I have to give them credit. It’s something that we’ve been focusing on all year, that ‘is simply bringing energy regardless of the score. “

Remarkable

• The Pacers have won six of the last seven regular season clashes against the Kings. The Pacers’ only loss to the Kings in the past four seasons came on their last visit to Sacramento on December 1, 2018, as the Kings escaped with a 111-110 victory at home.
• Kings forward Harrison Barnes and Pacers forward Doug McDermott were teammates with the Dallas Mavericks during the 2017-18 season. Barnes and McDermott were also teammates at Ames High School in Ames, Iowa.
• In nine games, the Pacers have the third best assist-to-turnover ratio in the NBA (1.97). Only the Phoenix Suns (2.00) and San Antonio Spurs (2.39) rank higher.

Tickets

A limited number of tickets for the Pacers’ upcoming home games from January 24 to March 4 will go on sale to the general public on Tuesday, January 19. Tickets for a game “Health and safety instructions”

Broadcast information List of television and radio programs »

TV: FOX Sports Indiana – Chris Denari (play-by-play), Quinn Buckner (analyst), Jeremiah Johnson (studio host)
Radio: 93.5 / 107.5 The Fan – Mark Boyle (play-by-play), Pat Boylan (studio host)