Insiders break down Pacers' Game 2 loss to OKC Thunder in Oklahoma City
IndyStar's Zach Osterman and The Oklahoman's Justin Martinez break down the Indiana Pacers' Game 2 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
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Washington Post
7 hours ago
- Washington Post
Diamondbacks place reliever Martinez on injured list with sprained pitching elbow
PHOENIX — Arizona Diamondbacks right-hander Justin Martinez has been placed on the 15-day injured list with a sprained ulnar collateral ligament in his pitching elbow. He exited Monday night's win against the Seattle Mariners in the ninth inning with what the team called elbow tightness. Now Martinez will go for a second opinion, manager Torey Lovullo told reporters Tuesday.
NBC Sports
8 hours ago
- NBC Sports
Pacers need more from Tyrese Haliburton in Game 3, but that's more than simply scoring
INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana struggled to score in the first half of Game 2 against the swarming Oklahoma City defense, putting up just 41 points on 34.9% shooting, including shooting just 46.2% in the paint. The problems started with their all-everything point guard, Tyrese Haliburton, who shot just 2-of-7 through three quarters, with not one of those attempts coming in the paint. That's happened to the Pacers a handful of times this season and in the playoffs — most notably Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Knicks, when he had 8 points on 2-of-7 shooting for the game. In the face of intense defensive pressure, Haliburton defers to teammates — if the defense is loading up on him, someone else has to be open. His instinct is to find that open man. As fans, we have been conditioned to expect our stars to attack in the face of that pressure — people want Haliburton to go Kobe and start shooting over triple-teams. People want him to be like Mike. Be selfish and pull his team up with him. That's not how Haliburton is wired. That's not the Pacers' formula. That's Indiana's dilemma for Game 3 and the rest of the series: The Pacers need more Haliburton, but it can't be just scoring. He's not going to go out and jack up 25 shots Wednesday night in Game 3 — he hasn't taken more than 23 in any game this season. Indiana thrives when Haliburton is setting the table and everyone is eating, but he's got to eat more, too. Thunder pressure defense Haliburton's challenge starts with the problem 28 other teams have faced this season: Oklahoma City's physical, high-pressure defense. Thunder defense has done a really good job in the first half. Active, ball pressure, physical off ball to disrupt movement and switching. Notice on the handoff to Haliburton, Holmgren is in a drop but Lu Dort is *parked* at the nail to help. Windows disappear quick vs. OKC. 'They got more guys than most teams in the NBA that are high level at the point of attack,' Haliburton said. 'They're really connected on the defensive end. I feel like they mix up coverages. I think coach [Mark] Daigneault isn't afraid to do things on the fly. He doesn't do everything that's like very traditional… 'I think the biggest thing is just personnel. Their personnel is different than everywhere else.' 'We've got guys that are hard to screen either because of strength or quickness or both,' Daigneault said. "[Lu] Dort comes to mind. [Alex] Caruso comes to mind. [Jalen Williams] comes to mind. Cason Wallace, for sure. They're good pursue guys. Having guys at the rim is helpful [Chet Holmgren, Isaiah Hartenstein]. You can't spring downhill and assume there's something good there for you. Hopefully, the help is deterring that to a degree.' Haliburton and other Pacers mentioned leaning into watching the film of Game 2 (and the first half of Game 1), seeing what didn't work, and what worked better in the fourth quarter of Game 2 (when Haliburton scored 12 points and looked more like himself, but it was too little to late). 'The answers always lie in the film,' Haliburton said. Pacers mixing it up When discussing the Thunder defense, Haliburton employed phrasing typically reserved for describing how to slow down an elite offensive player. 'You can't give these guys the same dosage, the same look of anything,' Haliburton said. 'If you try to run high pick-and-roll all game, they just crawl into you, really pack the paint, nothing is open. There's got to be a mix of things. Got to be off the ball, playing off the pitch, coming off ball screens. You can't run the same thing consistently against these guys. You got to mix it up. 'We got to do a much better job of that. I feel like I probably got caught in too many high pick-and-rolls where they can really pack it in and end up getting shots late against the clock, especially the first half of both games.' To a man, the Pacers talked about getting the ball into the paint more and working inside-out to get their attempts, as they have done all season. It also could mean a little more Pascal Siakam with the ball in his hands for the Pacers. "[Siakam is] one of the few guys on their team that really looks for isolation to score. A lot of other guys, it's through the flow of their offense and pace,' Caruso said. Whatever the Pacers do to adjust, it won't change how the Thunder want to play. 'My approach will be the same. Our approach will be the same,' Dort said. Indiana is going to come out at home Wednesday night in a critical Game 3 (with the series tied 1-1) and throw its best punch — and that punch has to have Haliburton shooting more. Just not too much.
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Yahoo
Diamondbacks place reliever Martinez on injured list with sprained pitching elbow
Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Justin Martinez, right, pauses on the pitcher's mound after an injury as Diamondbacks catcher Jose Herrera, left, and Diamondbacks shortstop Geraldo Perdomo check on Martinez during the ninth inning of a baseball game against the Seattle Mariners Monday, June 9, 2025, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin) Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Justin Martinez leaves the game due to injury during the ninth inning of a baseball game against the Seattle Mariners Monday, June 9, 2025, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin) Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Justin Martinez leaves the game due to injury during the ninth inning of a baseball game against the Seattle Mariners Monday, June 9, 2025, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin) Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Justin Martinez, right, pauses on the pitcher's mound after an injury as Diamondbacks catcher Jose Herrera, left, and Diamondbacks shortstop Geraldo Perdomo check on Martinez during the ninth inning of a baseball game against the Seattle Mariners Monday, June 9, 2025, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin) Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Justin Martinez leaves the game due to injury during the ninth inning of a baseball game against the Seattle Mariners Monday, June 9, 2025, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin) PHOENIX (AP) — Arizona Diamondbacks right-hander Justin Martinez has been placed on the 15-day injured list with a sprained ulnar collateral ligament in his pitching elbow. He exited Monday night's win against the Seattle Mariners in the ninth inning with what the team called elbow tightness. Now Martinez will go for a second opinion, manager Torey Lovullo told reporters Tuesday. Advertisement The 23-year-old Martinez had struck out the first two batters he faced before walking Dylan Moore. After throwing a 97-mph sinker for a strike on a 1-0 count to Donovan Solano, Martinez signaled for an athletic trainer and then left the game. He is 1-2 with a 4.11 ERA and five saves over 17 appearances and 15 1/3 innings. Arizona also placed right-hander Christian Montes De Oca on the 15-day IL with right elbow inflammation, a move retroactive to June 9. Righty Cristian Mena was transferred to the 60-day IL with a strained pitching shoulder. Additionally Tuesday, the D-Backs recalled right-handers Kevin Ginkel and Bryce Jarvis from Triple-A Reno and selected the contract of righty Tayler Scott from Reno. Right-hander Jeff Brigham was optioned to Reno after Monday's 8-4 win in 11 innings. ___ AP MLB:
