Haliburton and the Pacers take on conference foe Washington
Haliburton and the Pacers take on conference foe Washington
Indiana Pacers (42-30, fourth in the Eastern Conference) vs. Washington Wizards (16-56, 15th in the Eastern Conference)
Washington; Thursday, 7 p.m. EDT
BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Pacers -11; over/under is 236.5
BOTTOM LINE: Washington plays Indiana in a matchup of Eastern Conference teams.
The Wizards are 12-31 against Eastern Conference opponents. Washington allows the most points in the league, giving up 120.4 points per game while allowing opponents to shoot 47.0%.
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The Pacers are 24-21 in conference play. Indiana is eighth in the NBA scoring 51.0 points per game in the paint led by Pascal Siakam averaging 10.6.
The Wizards are shooting 43.9% from the field this season, 3.6 percentage points lower than the 47.5% the Pacers allow to opponents. The Pacers are shooting 48.9% from the field, 1.9% higher than the 47.0% the Wizards' opponents have shot this season.
TOP PERFORMERS: Bilal Coulibaly is scoring 12.3 points per game and averaging 5.0 rebounds for the Wizards. Alex Sarr is averaging 18.6 points and 6.9 rebounds over the last 10 games.
Tyrese Haliburton is averaging 18.5 points, 9.3 assists and 1.5 steals for the Pacers. Siakam is averaging 18.1 points and 3.7 assists over the past 10 games.
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LAST 10 GAMES: Wizards: 3-7, averaging 110.2 points, 45.7 rebounds, 26.4 assists, 8.2 steals and 6.0 blocks per game while shooting 43.7% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 119.8 points per game.
Pacers: 7-3, averaging 116.7 points, 42.3 rebounds, 28.8 assists, 8.4 steals and 4.9 blocks per game while shooting 48.1% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 114.7 points.
INJURIES: Wizards: Saddiq Bey: out (knee), Khris Middleton: day to day (ankle), Bilal Coulibaly: out for season (hamstring), Marcus Smart: day to day (finger), Corey Kispert: out for season (thumb), Kyshawn George: day to day (ankle), Malcolm Brogdon: day to day (ankle).
Pacers: Isaiah Jackson: out for season (calf).
___
The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
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But there's no debate who has the most startling individual stat line from this game, and it's neither Mathurin nor Haliburton. It's McConnell, who becomes the first player in NBA Finals history to come off the bench and post 10 points, five assists and five steals. And he does it in 15 minutes. And he does it at 6-1, and at age 33. A unique player, T.J. McConnell. 'His energy is unbelievable,' Haliburton says of McConnell. 'I think you guys know he's a crowd favorite. I joke with him. I call him 'the Great White Hope.'' That's what Haliburton said. Here's what Carlisle said: 'T.J. brings some very unique elements to our team, and he brings unique elements to the game in general,' Carlisle said. 'We need all of our guys to bring whatever is their thing to our thing — and have it be part of our thing. But he's a guy that inspires a lot of people. He inspires our team a lot.' When the second quarter begins, the Pacers are trailing 32-24. 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