Does anyone want to talk about last night? It was the same frustrating script that happened in the IST Final. The Pacers battled hard but were called for too many fouls to establish a rhythm.

According to Rick Carlisle, "There were certain things that were impossible to overcome... The 27-free-throw differential is one. The 17-foul differential is the other. And I'll leave it at that."

Tyrese Haliburton also weighed in on how the referees affected the game.

When you shoot that many free throws, they control the pace. We like to play up and down like we did in the first quarter. When the game gets stopped a lot and there's a lot of free throws being shot, that's really been the story of both games we've played. They dictate the pace because there are so many free throws being shot. We just have to do a better job of not fouling and playing through that...

The first game it was 35. You tell me what you're supposed to do when a team shoots that many free throws. I don't really know... The game, the way it's been officiated the last couple of weeks, you can get away with a lot more. That's how it started. That's not how the game continued on. We gotta play through whatever's thrown at us."

That inability to overcome what was thrown at them spoiled a terrific night from Pascal Siakam. Spicy P scored 36 points on 55% shooting, grabbed 12 rebounds, and only turned it over once.

Watching Pascal Siakam every night has given me a new appreciation for his game. His combination of size and offensive skill allows him to create buckets out of thin air. More than that he's consistent. He's quickly become the Pacers go to weapon when they need to score and the league is taking notice.

Tonight the Pacers take on the veteran-laden Clippers. Though the Clippers are hanging on to the fourth seed in the West, they have been struggling as of late. They have lost five of their last eight games.

The lack of results can be attributed to terrible defense. Los Angeles is giving up just under 123 points per 100 possessions over the past two weeks. That is third worst in the entire NBA.

Tonight should be an opportunity for the Pacers to get up and down... if they have the legs. After last night's loss, Indy has a 9-4 record in the first game of a back-to-back and a 2-10 record on the second leg. Needless to say, playing with dead legs in not the Pacers' forte. The Clippers, meanwhile, are slightly better with a 6-6 record on second nights.

Injuries

Aaron Nesmith is questionable tonight and Russell Westbrook may make his return.

How to Watch

Tipoff is at 1o:30 PM ET.

TV: Bally Sports Indiana, NBA League Pass

Radio: 93.5/107.5 The Fan

See ya in the comments!

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