After picking up a road win on Thursday night in Minnesota, the Pacers (23-22) return home to host the Sacramento Kings (18-27) in Hickory Night game on Friday evening.
The Pacers' star shone the brightest in Indiana's 109-103 win over the Timberwolves on Thursday. Paul George, Myles Turner, and Jeff Teague combined for 75 points in the victory, going 29-for-49 from the field.
HICKORY HONOREES: For Keller and McGinnis, State Title Memories Never Faded »
The win was an important one for the Blue & Gold, who had lost three straight prior to Thursday.
It should come as no surprise that the Pacers are at their best when they get strong performances from their stars. The Pacers are 5-2 when George scores 30 or more points (he had 31 on Thursday) and 9-3 when Teague has 10 or more assists (he dished out 13 in Minnesota).
HICKORY CENTRAL: Learn More at Pacers.com/Hickory »
Friday's game will be a rematch between two teams who played a thrilling contest last Wednesday in Sacramento. The Kings led by as many as 22 points before the Pacers mounted a furious charge to come away with a win.
Sacramento has struggled this season, but is coming off a huge overtime win on Wednesday night in Cleveland. All-Star center DeMarcus Cousins is a force on the interior, ranking fifth in the NBA in scoring (28.0 points per game) and 12th in rebounding (10.2 per contest).
Cousins has given Indiana trouble in the past. He recorded a triple-double against the Pacers last week (though they held him in check after halftime) and scored 48 against them last season.
Fatigue could be a factor in this contest, as the Pacers have struggled so far this season when playing on the second night of a back-to-back, winning just once in eight tries.
Jeff Teague
Paul George
C.J. Miles
Thaddeus Young
Myles Turner
Darren Collison
Arron Afflalo
Garrett Temple
DeMarcus Cousins
Kosta Koufos
Pacers: PG – Jeff Teague, SG – Paul George, SF – C.J. Miles, PF – Thaddeus Young, C – Myles Turner Kings: PG – Darren Collison, SG – Arron Afflalo, SF – Garrett Temple, PF – DeMarcus Cousins, C – Kosta Koufos
Pacers: Kevin Seraphin – questionable (sore left knee), Rodney Stuckey – out (left hamstring strain)
Kings: Omri Casspi – out (right plantaris tendon strain), Rudy Gay – out (torn left Achilles) Last Meeting
January 18, 2017: The Pacers rallied from a 22-point deficit to stun the Kings in Sacramento, coming away with a 106-100 victory, the 500th career win for head coach Nate McMillan. “I thought we came out the second half and we scrapped, just took it one possession at a time, got stops defensively,” McMillan said. “(We were) able to get a rhythm, spread them out offensively, and just fight our way back into this game.”
Paul George led the Pacers with 24 points on 8-of-15 shooting. Jeff Teague added 22 points, seven rebounds, and 11 assists. Al Jefferson was the third Pacers player to score at least 20 points, setting a new season high with 20 on 9-of-12 shooting in just 16 minutes off the bench.
DeMarcus Cousins led all scorers with 25 points and recorded his first triple-double of the season by also tallying 12 rebounds and 11 assists. But he also had nine turnovers and did not make a field goal in the entire second half.
The Pacers return home on Friday, Jan. 27 to host the Kings in a Hickory Night game. Members of the Indianapolis Washington High School state championship teams from 1965 and 1969 will be honored at halftime. 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), Slick Leonard (analyst), Pat Boylan (sideline reporter/host) Please Note: Inside Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Pacers radio broadcasts can be heard on 1080 AM instead of 1070. Home Court Gift Shop Game Night Special
Hickory Lounge Pants – $12. Game Night Specials can be purchased in the Home Court Gift Shop or any of our souvenir stands located on all levels of Bankers Life Fieldhouse. The special is also available online at PacersGear.com until midnight.
Construction Note: The Delaware St. entrance to the Virginia Ave. Parking Garage is no longer in operation due to the construction of the St. Vincent Center. To enter the Virginia Ave. Parking Garage, please use the entrance located at the intersection of E Maryland St. and S Alabama St. In addition, the southbound lane of Delaware Street from Maryland to just south of the train bridge will be closed for the duration of the construction project.
In addition, the southbound lane of Delaware Street from Maryland to just south of the train bridge will be closed for the duration of the construction project.
