Before we get into tonight's matchup against the Raptors, let's take a moment to appreciate the barnburner we witnessed last night. The Pacers beat the Hawks in Atlanta to go 3-0 in Tournament play and book a place in the quarterfinals.

"What I said was, give me all the offense you have"

The game was all offense. And just like Ron Swanson ordering at a diner, I worry you're not taking me literally. I don't mean the game had a lot of offense, I mean it was ONLY offense. The Pacers and the Hawks combined for 309 total points, which are the most points scored in a game this season and the 16th most all time.

In the first half, that offense was unfortunately weighted in favor of the Hawks, who got out to a 20 point lead in the second quarter. However the Pacers came roaring back in the third behind an otherworldly shooting display from the patron saint of offensive efficiency, Tyrese Haliburton.

I mean seriously, look at the team's scoring plays in the third.

Now watch clips of those plays.

Now revel in the national media pushing a Haliburton for MVP agenda.

Am I overdoing it with these tweets? Hell no, it's Thanksgiving week. Pile your plate high and let the tryptophan from over indulging in Haliburton propaganda course through your veins. Quinn knows what's up:

While Haliburton was simply untouchable in the third quarter, the Hawks started doubling him in the fourth. It broke him out of his groove and he had a few shaky plays late in the game. Nevertheless, his old deputy Buddy Hield stepped up to the plate in a big way. Buddy couldn't miss in winning time and his clutch shooting held off Atlanta as they tried to steal the game in the final few minutes.

The win netted the players and the coaching staff a $50,000 bonus, so it's no surprise that Buddy was locked in. After all, he's hoping to use that money to help pay off his mortgage.

Lineups and Rotations

The Pacers did a few new things in regard to lineups and rotations last night. The headliner is that Rick Carlisle switched up his starting unit, going back to what worked for the team last year. He moved Benn Mathurin and Obi Toppin to the bench in favor of Buddy Hield and Aaron Nesmith.

The move makes sense for many reasons, but none more than the fact that Nesmith is still somehow the team's best defender at the four. Against Atlanta, who runs a lot of 1-4 pick and rolls, having Nesmith's switchability was a smart tactical move. It's unclear whether those changes were opponent specific or something more permanent. Nesmith is on the injury report for tonight, so we may see more changes regardless.

The other major rotation note was the benching of Myles Turner and Jalen Smith in favor of Isaiah Jackson for most of the fourth and then Obi Toppin to close out the game. Atlanta's spread offense and the Pacers' decision to double Trae Young in the backcourt, put pressure on whoever was playing the 5 to cover a ton of ground defensively. Isaiah's mobility and shot blocking prowess allowed him to be more effective than the slower centers in front of him on the depth chart. He didn't light it up offensively, but his defense changed the game in winning time.

Finally, Ben Sheppard got non-garbage time minutes again last night. This is likely a result of Nembhard's injury but it's good to see the coaching staff trusts him to play in big games. Next time he gets in just watch how hard he runs on every possession. He's a mad man. Of course, last night he didn't have enough legs to get his shot over the rim after a few minutes on the court, but that stamina will come with more playing time.

For more depth about the X's and O's of Carlisle's adjustments, I'll defer to the new Cooper video, which is highly informative and digestible.

Pacers Mad Ants Double Header

I promise I'll get to the game this "game thread" is for eventually. But first, Gainbridge is hosting a double header today, with the Mad Ants having played at home this afternoon. Since everyone is in one place at the same time, the team decided to send Walker and Sheppard to the minors for a game. Sheppard only played 20 minutes (will we see him again tonight?) but Walker lit it up in his extended minutes. Both have been recalled and are available to play against Toronto.

Not to be outdone, Oscar Tshiebwe put up a typically gaudy stat line. He set a franchise record with 28 rebounds.

The Raptors, Finally

Fortunately for the Pacers, the Raptors are also on the second night of a back-to-back. Unfortunately, if this game becomes a dead-leg slog fest, that plays to the visitors' advantage. Toronto wants to play a defensive game and win ugly.

Offensive efficiency will be important tonight, because there is nothing Toronto hates more that facing a set defense. They struggle in the half-court and rely on easy transition opportunities to boost their scoring.

The other way Toronto looks for easy buckets? Offensive rebounds. Do I sound like a broken record yet?

Injury Report

How to Watch

Tipoff is at 7:30 PM ET.

TV: Bally Sports Indiana, NBA League Pass

Radio: 93.5/107.5 The Fan

See ya in the comments!

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