2025 may be the year the country burns down, but damn if it hasn't been good to the Blue & Gold. They are 4-0 since the ball dropped and have a chance to add another notch to their belt at home tonight against the Warriors.
But before we get to the collapsing star that is the current version of Golden State, let's take a moment to appreciate how the Pacers dismantled the Bulls in their previous outing.
The man of the match was Thomas Bryant, who stepped into a starting role in relief of an injured Myles Turner and looked ever so comfortable. His defensive positioning was excellent and he was a model of efficiency on offense.
Thomas Bryant in his first start in the Blue & Gold:
— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) January 9, 2025
22 PTS (season high) | 56.3 FG% | 8 REB | 2 STL pic.twitter.com/a4n69GuN42
Despite being ice-cold from behind the arc, the Pacers put up elite points-per-possession numbers behind dominant interior play. They also stymied the Bulls' offense from basically the jump, leading to an easy double-digit victory (it would have been easier if they hadn't taken their foot off the gas in the 4th).
The season's turnaround coincided with Nembhard's return to lineup. Though sometimes he doesn't stand out in the box score, plays like below are what make him a game changer for the team.
Andrew Nembhard saved basketball. pic.twitter.com/M6qC5c3bDe
— Josh (@ripnaptownjosh) January 9, 2025
The Warriors
The Warriors are on the second night of a back-t0-back after beating the Pistons in Detroit yesterday. This game is a funny efficiency matchup because, according to Cleaning the Glass, it's the 21st best offense against the 21st best defense and the 9th best defense against 9th best offense, respectively of course. If that sounded like word salad, just look at the graphic below.
Injuries
This could be a battle of the backups if all the questionable players are out. For the Pacers, Haliburton and Turner are on the injury report again. For the Warriors, Andrew Wiggins is confirmed out, while Steph Curry and Draymond Green are questionable.
Tyrese Haliburton and Myles Turner both listed as questionable on the injury report with the ankle sprain and the illness. Haliburton said he was doing OK after Wednesday's game but acknowledged he wasn't moving around teh best.
— Dustin Dopirak (@DustinDopirak) January 9, 2025
Steph Curry sounded unsure if he'd play in Indianapolis tomorrow. He's been resting once in back-to-backs. Celebrini/staff will make final call. Curry: "I'm doing everything in my power to play back-to-backs eventually. Whether that's tomorrow or the next one, I don't know."
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) January 10, 2025
Steve Kerr says Andrew Wiggins will be in the Bay tomorrow so he will be out at Indiana. Kerr says he isn’t sure yet how Steph Curry and Draymond Green will come out of tonight’s win at Detroit and if they will play or sit in back to back tomorrow.
— Ohm Youngmisuk (@NotoriousOHM) January 10, 2025
Local Broadcast
What a perfect game to air for free on basic cable right? Hey I'm not complaining. Anything that moves us away from the RSN model is fine by me.
we're airing five games for free over-the-air locally on WTHR, beginning with tomorrow night's game against the Warriors 👏
— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) January 9, 2025
these games will also air on @FanDuelSN_IND and the FanDuel Sports Network app.
learn more: https://t.co/T2dsWyenmC pic.twitter.com/KaU514rwYd
How to Watch
Tipoff is at 7:00 PM ET.
TV: FanDuel Sports Network, NBA League Pass, WTHR
Radio: 93.5/107.5 The Fan
See ya in the comments!
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