The Pacers are 3-0 in 2025 after taking down the walking dead Brooklyn Nets. They are also above .500 for the first time since opening night. Even though the Nets were overmatched and win was more or less expected, it was good to see a continuation of the positive development that has seemingly turned the Pacers' season around.

As we've covered a thousand times, the ultimate ceiling of this Pacers team rests on internal growth, especially when it comes to its recent top-10 draft picks. Mathurin, for his part, appears to be figuring out how to be winning player in his third season in the league and his efficient performance against the Nets underscored that maturation.

The Bulls

Chicago is another Easter Conference team stuck in the quagmire of mediocrity with a record of 17-19.

That being said, they are on a hot streak at the moment, winners of four of their last five games. They take almost 45% of their shots from beyond the arc, so the Pacers defense will need to be prepared to rotate multiple times per possession to run the Bulls shooters off the line.

With the Pacers' injury woes at Center, I wouldn't blame anyone for thinking wistfully about last year when we had too much depth. Carlisle, for one, had very kind words to say about Jalen Smith as he returns to Indiana in an opposing uniform.

James Johnson Ain't Going Nowhere

The team said that he was too important to the locker room to cut, so his contract has been fully guaranteed as of yesterday.

Of course, if a trade were to materialize, he's always first on the chopping block when the team needs flexibility.

Injuries

Haliburton was on the injury report with an ankle sprain but will play. Myles Turner will not. Enrique Freeman and RayJ Dennis were held out of the Mad Ants game so that they would be ready to fill tonight, if necessary.

How to Watch

Tipoff is at 7:00 PM ET.

TV: FanDuel Sports Network, NBA League Pass

Radio: 93.5/107.5 The Fan

See ya in the comments!

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