Apologies if tonight’s article is a bit barebones. I’m en route to a family Thanksgiving weekend in North Carolina and the plane’s WiFi conked out on me, so I‘m writing on my phone. If you’re offended by typos, skip to the comments now.

But if you’re still here, let me tell you a couple of things I’m thankful for.

1) Home cooking. The Pacers are in the middle of a home stand and they are benefitting from getting some Z’s in their own beds.

None more so than Tyrese Haliburton, who’s gone from looking like he couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn to sniper in the blink of an eye.

2) Bad opponents. While the home cooking has been sweet, playing terrible defenses has been sweeter.

Not to make this all about Haliburton, but the guy was practically crying in his postgame interview less than a week ago. The buttery soft defenses of Washington and New Orleans have helped put the literal spring back in his step and hopefully turn the corner for good.

The Blazers won’t be a cupcake defense like the last two games. They have quite a bit of athleticism and length and rank near the middle of the pack in defensive efficiency and near the top of the league in generating turnovers.

While their offense is dead last in points per possession, they use their athleticism to crash the offensive boards effectively so the Pacers will need to make an extra effort to box out.

According to Carlisle, the team knows as much.

3) I’m thankful for you guys! I think we’re closing in on the 300th post for this site and none of it would be possible without you guys coming to talk hoops day in, day out. I’ve been a part of some version of this community for about 20 years at this point and I feel privileged to be able to keep calling y’all my internet friends.

Happy Holidays!

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