Last Updated: Jan. 17 at 10:45 PM ET Matchup
With each home win and road loss, the mystery continues to grow for the Pacers. At Bankers Life Fieldhouse, with the home crowd at its back, Indiana has compiled an impressive 16-5 mark. Outside of Indiana, however, the Pacers are the owners a 5-14 record, falling victim to fourth-quarter rallies in unlikely places.
But after returning to the United States and grabbing a victory over the Pelicans, the Pacers — winners of six of their last seven games — get another opportunity to remedy their issues on the road with a three-game west coast swing that concludes on Saturday night in Utah.
It starts, however, against a team that has had the inverse problem of the Pacers of late, the Sacramento Kings. Indiana gets the Kings on the final game of Sacramento's season-long seven game home stand, of which the Kings have gone 1-5 entering Wednesday's meeting.
That game, coupled with a Friday meeting with the Lakers — another team with difficulties of late — gives the Pacers a chance to move up in the Eastern Conference standings as Indiana hits its halfway point of the 2016-17 season.
On Monday, the Pacers got a balanced box score from its starters, with George, Thad Young, Turner, and Teague all scoring between 16 and 19 points.
The ball movement, facilitated by Teague, culminated in yet another double-digit assist night from the kinetic point guard as the starting unit continued to look like a group that has comfort and trust.
One area the Pacers will focus on bolstering during their road trip and beyond is keeping the foot on the gas without George in the game. According to NBA.com/Stats, the Pacers' net rating drops -7.5 when PG sits on the bench. The points allowed rises and the points scored falls, leaving the Pacers susceptible to comebacks from opposing bench units.
Some of this can be attributed to the bench unit — like the starting unit was a few weeks ago — figuring each other's playing styles out. Monta Ellis and Aaron Brooks are still finding a balance in ball handling, Al Jefferson is searching for favorable matchups on offense, and Pacers head coach Nate McMillan has tinkered with the power forward position on the second unit, playing Kevin Seraphin at points, and Thad Young at other moments.
Despite their recent struggles, the Kings have had Indiana's number in recent years, winning four consecutive games.
That, and their road struggles, will be be two trends the Pacers will attempt to buck during Wednesday night's game, which begins at 10:30 PM ET. Projected Starters Jeff Teague Glenn Robinson III Paul George Thaddeus Young Myles Turner Darren Collison Garret Temple Rudy Gay Anthony Tolliver DeMarcus Cousins Pacers: PG – Jeff Teague, SG – Glenn Robinson III, SF – Paul George, PF – Thaddeus Young, C – Myles Turner Kings: PG – Darren Collison, SG – Garrett Temple, SF – Rudy Gay, PF – Anthony Tolliver, C – DeMarcus Cousins Injury Report
Jeff Teague
Glenn Robinson III
Paul George
Thaddeus Young
Myles Turner
Darren Collison
Garret Temple
Rudy Gay
Anthony Tolliver
DeMarcus Cousins
Pacers: PG – Jeff Teague, SG – Glenn Robinson III, SF – Paul George, PF – Thaddeus Young, C – Myles Turner Kings: PG – Darren Collison, SG – Garrett Temple, SF – Rudy Gay, PF – Anthony Tolliver, C – DeMarcus Cousins
Pacers: Rodney Stuckey – out (left hamstring strain)
Kings: None Last Meeting
January 23, 2016: During the Kings' 108-97 win over the Pacers, Indiana was never able to find an answer for the play of DeMarcus Cousins, who went off for 48 points and 13 rebounds.
The Pacers, despite falling behind by double-digits early, rallied back to cut the lead down to 72-68, but the Kings put together a 9-2 run to close out the third quarter, taking a nine-point lead into the fourth.
In the fourth, George Hill was fouled on a 3-point shot, and his free throws made it a six-point game, but Cousins continued to inflict damage, scoring another bucket to halt Indiana's momentum.
Paul George posted a team-high 34 points, but it wasn't enough to overcome Cousins, who finished with just short of 50. Noteworthy Sacramento has won four straight games over the Pacers. The last Pacers win over the Kings came on January 24, 2014 Kings point guard Darren Collison was a member of the Pacers for two seasons (2011-12, 2012-13) Sacramento also has Ty Lawson, who joined the Pacers late last season, playing in 13 regular season games and all seven postseason games Tickets
The Pacers return home following their west coast swing on Monday, January 23 for a prime time matchup with the New York Knicks. Tipoff is slated for 8:00 PM Find Tickets » Broadcast Information TV & Radio Listings »
TV: FOX Sports Indiana – Chris Denari (play-by-play), Quinn Buckner (analyst), Jeremiah Johnson (sideline reporter/host) Radio: 93.5 FM/AM 1070 The Fan – Mark Boyle (play-by-play), Pat Boylan (studio host) Away Game Night Special
Select Mini Balls – $10. Game Night Specials can be purchased online the day of each away game from 10:00 AM – Midnight. Order Online »
