Today we face off with familiar foes. Well, in theory. Most of the faces will be unrecognizable... and cut from the roster in the very near future. But it's still Pacers vs Pistons, so expect a battle.

The Pacers' previous game against the Mavericks was rough. The most interesting part was seeing whether or not the Mavs would win by 27 and secure a playoff berth. Even that ended in failure, with the final score settling at 112-91.

The Pacers as a team – and Jarace Walker in particular – struggled to make shots, shooting 43.4% and 28.6% from the floor, respectively. Though it didn't feel like he made much of an impact on the game, Ben Sheppard finished with a decent stat line for the night. He scored 19 points, making 5-10 threes and shooting 53.8% overall.

The offense seemed disjointed all game and sorely missed a natural point guard running things. It will be interesting to see what adjustments, if any, the coaching staff makes today. They may opt to play Darius McGhee more minutes – or they may just continue to do what they've been doing. While as a viewer I'd like to see a bit more structure, I know that the team probably doesn't have the skill to play much better than it has, regardless of lineups.

The Pistons, like the Pacers, brought some serious talent to Vegas but have since shut down their big names. However, we should still get to see Ausar Thompson and Marcus Sasser, both of whom the Pacers worked out prior to the draft. The Pacers also worked out Tosun Evbuomwan, a playmaking forward out of Princeton, but naturally I'm much less excited about him. Finally, you'll recognize Keifer Sykes, who played with the Pacers and the Mad Ants during the '21-'22 season.

Let's strap in for what's sure to be a bittersweet game. Bitter because of the quality of play, sweet because it's the last time we'll see the Blue & Gold in uniform until training camp.

See ya in the comments.

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