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Forbes
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Trio Of Haliburton, Siakam, Mathurin Meet Moment For Pacers Trio Of Ws
INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - MAY 27: Bennedict Mathurin #00 of the Indiana Pacers celebrates with his ... More teammates against the New York Knicks during the third quarter in Game Four of the Eastern Conference Finals of the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on May 27, 2025 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by) INDIANAPOLIS – The Indiana Pacers had nobody to blame but themselves for their Game 3 loss to the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference Finals, but their response to the loss was going to be more important than the result. The Pacers have dropped Game 3 in every series they played in the postseason so far. They bounced back every time. To keep that trend alive on Tuesday night, several players had to step up. And the work to make that happen began on Monday. With Game 4 approaching, some of the lower-minute players on the roster got together to get in some extra court time. Jarace Walker, Bennedict Mathurin, and Johnny Furphy – three recent draft picks who hadn't been involved much in this Knicks series – linked up for a practice session on Memorial Day. Walker and Furphy haven't played yet in the Eastern Conference Finals while Mathurin's minutes had dropped from 21 to 11 to eight across the first three battles. The youngsters were all finding a way to play and stay ready by working together. Mathurin, in particular, was important in that session. His best game in the regular season came against the Knicks, and he has the capability to be a difference maker in the Pacers' ongoing series. A strong practice featuring the right mentality would put him on a track toward more opportunities, something he has wanted. Furphy, who was a part of that workout, saw Mathurin approach it with aggression. 'He's always aggressive. I feel like that's just who he is as a person, he's always getting in the gym and working,' Furphy said. 'So it's nothing to be surprised about.' When Game 4 came around, Mathurin was ready to go. He entered for the first time with 64 seconds left in the first quarter and scored just four seconds later. He had eight points by halftime, then had a similar flow to his second-half stint. He checked in, scored quickly, and kept applying pressure. Mathurin threw some strong passes and defended capably. Most importantly, he played like himself on offense. The third-year pro, who is currently participating in his first postseason, hit jumpers, attacked the paint, and earned trips to the foul line on his way to 20 points in 12.5 minutes of play. Mathurin became the first player in NBA history to score 20+ points in a playoff game while playing less than 14 minutes. He threw tidy passes and fit in. Mathurin was exactly who the Pacers hoped he could be in Game 4 and was a vital part of the result. 'Proud of Benn Mathurin. The guy has stayed ready. Came in yesterday, got work, got shooting in, got some simulated game shots. Just been encouraging him to stay ready, that we need him, and that the playoffs are just a different animal,' Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said. 'Tonight, he was great. Really gave us a huge lift. And hit some really timely buckets.' Furphy, who saw Mathurin's workout up close, was equally impressed. 'It speaks a lot to how professional he is, and how elite he is as well. He gets given an opportunity tonight and just makes the most of it,' the rookie wing said of Mathurin. 'His sort of aggression just brings so much energy to the team, and it shows other people to be as aggressive as him. So I think it's super valuable.' Mathurin had 12 second-half points as the Pacers put the game away. He was tremendous and played well above his postseason expectation. But he wasn't the only player on the Pacers roster to do so. Two others had star-level nights, and all three were key in Indiana's Game 4 victory. Four days after Siakam had his best-ever playoff game, he showed once again why his scoring can feel muted, even when his stats are enormous. Carlisle called Siakam's 39-point explosion against New York in Game 2 quiet. That's hard to do. But the three-time All-Star did it again on Tuesday night, scoring 30 points on a night that few realized he achieved such a high point total. The reason for that? Consistency. Siakam slowly dropped in his points, scoring in every quarter and never having more than 11 in one period. When the fourth quarter began, he had just 19 and scored his 30th point with 22 seconds left in the game. He used the entire final frame to get his last 11 points. Indiana Pacers forward Pascal Siakam (43) and guard Bennedict Mathurin (00) celebrate during the ... More second half of Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals of the NBA basketball playoffs against the New York Knicks in Indianapolis, Tuesday, May 27, 2025. (AP Photo/AJ Mast) 'Just taking what the defense gave us and trying to be aggressive,' Siakam said. 'It's going to be different people [on] different nights… I'm just glad to be able to help.' Siakam once again scored in a variety of situations. He canned a trio of three-point shots and ran the floor well in transition. When he had a smaller player defending him, Siakam went to the basket and attacked. His turnaround jumper was falling once again. When the veteran forward has every aspect of his finishing on display, he's almost impossible to cover. It makes life easier for the rest of the Pacers, and it was the second 30+ point game this series for the All-Star forward. He was tremendous as the Pacers won at home. That's a rarity in this series – the road team was victorious in Games 1-3. 32 points and zero turnovers would be a bonkers statline for a player in a playoff game. 15 assists and zero turnovers would be similarly impressive. 12 rebounds and no turnovers is a rare combination. Tyrese Haliburton, the Pacers All-NBA point guard, accomplished all three of those statlines in Indiana's Game 4 win against the Knicks. Haliburton's final marks were 32 points, 12 rebounds, 15 assists, four steals, and zero turnovers. He had two fewer assists than New York did as a team and was the game's leading scorer, rebounder, and distributor. The star guard was exceptional in every way. 'He was everywhere,' Siakam said of Haliburton postgame, joking that Haliburton stole some of his rebounds. 'He's amazing when he's playing that way. The pace… and also being aggressive.' Carlisle didn't want to make it about the numbers. He's thrilled that Haliburton played a team-focused game that put the Pacers, as a unit, first. And Haliburton spent most of his postgame press conference making it clear that he was happier with the victory than the statistics. But zooming out shows just how historic Haliburton's outing truly was. He joined Baron Davis as the only players in NBA history to have 30+ points, 10+ rebounds, and 10+ assists in a playoff game without a turnover. Haliburton had more assists and steals than Davis – adding in three steals into the stat qualifiers above removes Davis' game entirely. Nobody has ever done what Haliburton did Tuesday night. He did it just two days after blaming himself for the Pacers struggles in Game 3. And now, Indiana is up 3-1 and one win away from the NBA Finals. 'He was the leader tonight,' Carlisle said. He was later asked about the zero turnovers, perhaps the most impressive number. 'This has become his thing,' the head coach said. Many other players played a significant role in the Pacers Game 4 win over the Knicks. But the Mathurin, Siakam, and Haliburton trio all had an exceptional outing to get Indiana across the finish line. Those three gave the Pacers three wins in the best-of-seven.
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Story behind Ben Sheppard's mustache: Pacers guard says, 'I feel like it's part of me now'
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah — Ben Sheppard started growing his mustache on a whim after the Indiana Pacers drafted him with the No. 26 pick in 2023. He was clean shaven as a college player at Belmont and stayed that way long enough to take all of the post-draft photos alongside fellow first-round pick Jarace Walker. Then he just started letting his facial hair grow. By the start of NBA Summer League in 2023, he was showing some stubble, but eventually gave up on everything but the hair above his lip. By training camp he had a full-grown mustache. "At first I couldn't grow any other facial hair except for a mustache," Sheppard said, "but I like how it looks on me." MORE: Pacers vs. Knicks highlights: Pascal Siakam's career night gives Indiana 2-0 lead MORE: Pascal Siakam smokes Knicks for playoff-high 39; Josh Hart, interior defense AWOL for NY Sheppard, who scored six points and added an assist during Indiana's Game 2 win over New York in the Eastern Conference finals Friday night, said his parents didn't buy into his new look right away. His parents, David and Susan, were not big fans and suggested he shave it. Ben was about to acquiesce, but then he saw a picture of them at their wedding and noticed that his father had a mustache that was almost exactly the same as his. "I just wanted to keep it after that," Sheppard said. At that point David bought into the idea, Ben said, because what could he say? Susan was still more than skeptical but eventually had to surrender. "It probably took my mom a year to accept the fact that I have a mustache," Sheppard said. "But my dad likes everything that I do." It has since become the defining feature of Sheppard's aesthetic as he's settled into a rotation role as the Pacers' high-energy, low-maintenance wing off the bench ‒ an '80s style 'stache sitting above a seemingly permanent smile. "I feel like it's like a part of me now," Sheppard said, "so I'm keeping it for the time being." The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more. This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Ben Sheppard's 'stache game: Pacers backup guard goes all-in on 1980s
