Boy, howdy! Has it been a fun two weeks or what? After taking down the red-hot Cavs on Sunday, the Pacers can comfortably claim the title of hottest team in the conference. Well, for a night or two at least.

What's been driving their success? Good basketball more or less. They're excelling on both sides of the ball. Funny how that leads to wins, isn't it?
“Indiana’s opponent has scored under 100 points in three of the last four games. The Cavaliers scored 93, their lowest mark of the year by eight points. The Warriors scored their seventh-fewest, and the Nets their ninth-fewest. The Pacers are shutting teams down.” https://t.co/xQIiq9birG
— Rich Otterman (@Uncle_Fooby) January 14, 2025
Indiana has set the PACE offensively during their 6-game win streak.
— NBA (@NBA) January 14, 2025
🏀 121.5 ORTG (1st in NBA)
🏀 31.0 APG (2nd in NBA)
🏀 15.0 NET RTG (2nd in NBA)
They look to extend the streak to 7 as they host the East’s No. 1 Cavs at 7 PM ET on TNT 🍿 pic.twitter.com/YCZcE1gcZ3
You know what else they've been doing during that stretch? Taking care of the ball. I've noted all season – even as their points-per-possession numbers circled the drain – that the team's effective field goal percentage has remained in the top-10. Limiting turnovers has had the dual effect of allowing the team to get those efficient shots off while also preventing their opponents from getting easy buckets in transition. Win-win, if you ask me.
Pacers have the fewest turnovers in the league over the last 15 games, a huge reason why they are 12-3 in that stretch
— Pacers Post Up (@PacersPostUp) January 14, 2025
And 12th in rebounding…a marked improvement from where they stood 25 games into the season (29th)
One thing to keep an eye on as the season goes on is how many minutes Haliburton and Siakam have been playing. Both are in the top-10 for the season and Haliburton is starting to show signs of wear.
There are currently 3 @nyknicks at the top of the minutes played leaderboard, and 5 in the top 10 😳 https://t.co/hMo0JJzy1w pic.twitter.com/n21pNSh1VH
— Basketball Reference (@bball_ref) January 14, 2025
Speaking of wear...
Injuries
Rick Carlisle said that Haliburton actually hurt his groin, not hamstring when he left the last game early. The coach claimed this was a positive development and that Hali would be considered day-to-day as the team is not overly concerned with the injury.
Injury Update: Tyrese Haliburton (left groin strain) is out tonight. https://t.co/iLdRGJNLA5
— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) January 14, 2025
Unsurprisingly, they will slot Ben Sheppard into the starting lineup and shift Nembhard to the lead guard tonight.
Lineup alert: Pacers will start Nembhard, Sheppard, Mathurin, Siakam, Turner on Tuesday.
— Underdog NBA (@Underdog__NBA) January 14, 2025
The Cavs will have their big guns on the court as they look for revenge.
First Five in Indy. 🏁 #LetEmKnow pic.twitter.com/oQItJFYHLj
— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) January 14, 2025
How to Watch
We've got a rare national TV appearance, so get ready for painfully uniformed commentary about the team.
Tipoff is at 7:00 PM ET.
TV: TNT
Radio: 93.5/107.5 The Fan
See ya in the comments!
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