Revenge. Redemption. Reincarnation. Whatever the Pacers are after tonight, they must seize it and never let go.

The visitors basically nailed all the keys to the game on Monday: they imposed their style of play, they shot well enough from three (38.5%), the bench dominated. You have to imagine that if that continues the series will favor the Pacers.

Or, on the contrary, is the fact they lost despite success in those areas something to be worried about? Yes, the refs dealt a few fatal blows, but the Pacers also failed to execute. Tyrese Haliburton had two costly turnovers and glaring defensive lapses in crunch time. Nembhard took an ill-advised three and fouled before the inbound. Pascal Siakam disappeared.

You may point to the fact that the Pacers' star player had little to no impact as evidence that things will get better for the team. But the hard truth is 2023 Tyrese Haliburton isn't walking through the door. I highly suggest watching C. Coop's newest video. She breaks down all the ways Tyrese isn't moving like he did earlier in the season.

The operative question is "can the Pacers adjust?" Will they skew the offense more towards setting up Siakam? Will TJ McConnell get crunch time minutes? Will Tyrese find an extra gear?

Whatever the answer, they need to dig deep. This series is there for the taking.

Injuries

How to Watch

Tipoff is at 8:00 PM ET.

TV: TNT, TruTV

Radio: 93.5/107.5 The Fan

See ya in the comments!

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