Really great team win. First half was wild for both teams. Lots of sloppy moments and ton of bricks, but pace was super fast which played to our advantage with the strength of our bench. HB was big in the 1st quarter, esp after Brown called a timeout a minute into the game. Sabonis pretty much controlled our offense early on, and Fox played some great defense and had good energy in spite of playing off the ball a lot. It was also good to see Huerter and Murray getting a ton of shots off even though they’ve been struggling. Monk was Monk and his energy is contagious and he helps elevate the overall play of the 2nd unit.
Crazy pace continued in the 3rd quarter, and we got a ton of fast break points (we put up 44pts with only 3 3pters!). Overall, I loved the defensive effort which made for a lot of easy baskets. Part of it was Pacers missed a ton of 3s but we constantly pushed and used our speed knowing the Pacers lack the athletes in that department. Great scouting and game plan by the coaches.
I love Hali’s game and the passion he brings. I think he’ll be an all star this year, but it’s apparent the Pacers don’t have the talent and depth to sustain their early season success. It’ll be interesting to see if they go on a extended losing streak if they trade Turner and Duarte and tank the rest of the year