There's no time to cry over spilled milk in the NBA. The Pacers are back in action tonight after suffering only their second defeat since Christmas yesterday. Not that the Pacers would have anything to cry about necessarily. Losing to a team as good as Denver on the road is nothing to be ashamed of, even if Haliburton had been playing.

The Pacers fought hard, competed, but simply couldn't overcome the talent discrepancy. Nikola Jokic's mastery of the sport was on full display as he posted a casual 25/12/9 with only one miss from the field. Over the past nine games, the two-time MVP is shooting a bonkers 81% from the floor. Denver also received 25 point games from Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr., with the latter contributing seven threes. That kind of offensive efficiency is a buzzsaw and the Pacers were unfortunate to run into it.

Indiana was able to win the turnover and offensive rebounding battle, which resulted in 20 second chance points and helped keep the game close. However, despite forcing Denver into 21 turnovers, the Pacers were only able to come away with seven fast break points. For a team that averages over 17 a game, that inefficiency on the break was devastating.

The Jazz

We face the Jazz for the second time this season. In the previous matchup, the Pacers throttled their opponents by a score of 134-118. Nevertheless, the Jazz are not the same team they were on Nov. 8th anymore than the Pacers are.

Over the past two weeks, the Jazz have gone 7-1 and are the 7th best team in the league in points per possession differential. They boast the 5th best offense and 10th best defense over that stretch. For you gamblers out there, they are beating spreads by 15 points on average, easily the top mark.

The Pacers aren't far behind the Jazz in any of those metrics, with the giant caveat that Haliburton was healthy for the majority of that time period.

Once again the Pacers will have to make a concerted effort to finish defensive possessions, as the Jazz are among the best in the league at getting offensive rebounds and converting second chance points.

Injuries

Aaron Nesmith, who did not play against Denver, is questionable for tonight. Bruce Brown is also listed as questionable. The team seems to be treating him cautiously on back-to-backs as he continues to recover from a bone bruise in his knee.

How to Watch

Tipoff is at 9:00 PM ET.

TV: Bally Sports Indiana, NBA League Pass

Radio: 93.5/107.5 The Fan

It's a late tip, so hold off on the melatonin (or at least set the DVR).

See ya in the comments!

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