Stop me if you've heard this before. The Pacers came out flat in their last game against the Magic. The highest scoring team in the NBA only managed to produce 18 points in the first quarter and got down by as much as 15 points in the second quarter.

What saved them? Stop me if... damn I already used that one... the tide turned when human Energizer Bunny T.J. McConnell and 6'10 gazelle Obi Toppin entered the game. According to Rick Carlisle, “T.J. McConnell gave us a great left when he came into the game because we were struggling to score... He got to the rim a few times and really boosted our energy from there.”

T.J., for his part, credited Toppin for making his life easier when he pushes the pace. "He's just easy to play with. The guy gets out and runs better than anyone I've ever seen. He creates so much energy and disadvantages for the other team. ... I just throw it up and he goes and makes my life a lot easier."

Of course, the big story of the game was the defensive showing. The Pacers held the Magic under 100 points, a rare feat this season. The offense greatly benefitted from the stops as it allowed the team to get out in transition and to play its preferred run and gun style.

“We understand that we’re one of the best teams in transition, and the only way we can get transition buckets is getting stops. I felt we locked into getting those stops which allowed us to get a lot more transition points.”
-Obi Toppin

The defense was anchored by Myles Turner who recorded six blocks and altered (or simply deterred) countless more shots. Turner is rapidly closing in on Jermaine O'Neal's franchise blocks record.

For a more tactical breakdown of what the Pacers did better defensively, I highly recommend C. Coop's latest video. She explains how the Pacers stopped having Pascal Siakam chase over screens. Against the Magic's jumbo ball handlers, this adjustment worked perfectly.

The Thunder

Tonight the Pacers are in Oklahoma City to take on the best team in the West. The Thunder have won three straight, four of their last five, ten of their last twelve. Long story short, they're red hot.

They possess the league's third best offense in points per game and an above average defense in the same category.

Some of what the Pacers did against the Magic defensively should translate to tonight's game. The Thunder employ a number of bigger wing creators (although Jalen Williams is questionable with a sprained ankle). Nevertheless, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is an entirely different problem. His slithery penetration is something no NBA defensive coordinators have been able to solve so far.

If the Pacers play good defense again tonight, it would go a long way to building an identity on that end of the court – something that's proved elusive to this group.

Injuries

Jalen Williams sprained his ankle not once, but twice in the Thunder's last game. Therefore, he's listed as questionable against the Pacers.

How to Watch

Tipoff is at 8:00 PM ET.

TV: Bally Sports Indiana, NBA League Pass

Radio: 93.5/107.5 The Fan

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