Pacers' Buddy Hield: Drills four from downtown in win
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Hield produced 21 points (7-11 FG, 4-6 3Pt, 3-4 FT), two rebounds, two assists and two steals in 32 minutes during Monday's 122-112 win over the Celtics.
Hield's role with the Pacers has solidified while youngsters like Bennedict Mathurin have continued to struggle with unremarkable results. The career sharpshooter is Indiana's best deep threat, and he'll continue to yield excellent results beyond the arc as long as he remains in the starting lineup.
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Pacers' Myles Turner: Dominates inside with double-double
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Turner posted 17 points (7-16 FG, 2-6 3Pt, 1-1 FT), 10 rebounds, one assist, one block and one steal in 34 minutes during Monday's 122-112 victory over the Celtics.
Turner was clearly the better player in the paint during Monday's win, as the Celtics continued to struggle without Kristaps Porzingis (calf) in the lineup. The big man provides a veteran presence in one of the league's youngest rosters, and although double-double numbers have eluded him frequently this season, he's averaging over two blocked shots per game, padding his solid stat lines.
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Pacers' Tyrese Haliburton: Posts triple-double in return
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Haliburton ended with 26 points (10-18 FG, 5-11 3Pt, 1-1 FT), 10 rebounds, 13 assists and one steal over 40 minutes during Monday's 122-112 victory over Boston.
Haliburton returned from his illness to post the first triple-double of his career. Prior to his one-game absence, the Iowa State product had 13 double-doubles to his credit, but his season-high 10 rebounds sent his stat line into uncharted territory.
Nembhard isn't starting Monday's game against the Celtics, Sean Grande of NBC Sports Boston reports.
Nembhard entered the starting five Saturday with Tyrese Haliburton missing time due to an illness, but the Gonzaga product will return to the bench in his usual role with Haliburton cleared to return. Nembhard is averaging 5.8 points, 1.8 rebounds and 3.4 assists in his last five contests as a reserve (17.6 minutes).
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Pacers' Obi Toppin: Officially cleared
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Toppin (ankle) is available for Monday's matchup against the Celtics.
As expected, Toppin has been upgraded from questionable to available and will play in the In-Season Tournament quarterfinal matchup versus Boston. Over his last eight appearances, Toppin has averaged 17.6 points, 3.1 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.0 blocks in 29.3 minutes per game.
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Pacers' Tyrese Haliburton: Active Monday
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Haliburton (illness) is available Monday against Boston.
Overcoming an upper respiratory illness was Haliburton's final step before taking the court Monday, and he'll officially suit up for a quarterfinal duel of the In-Season Tournament. The 23-year-old has averaged 24.6 points and 12.2 assists across his last five games, although he did not suit up when Indiana played Boston in early November.
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Pacers' Obi Toppin: Trending toward playing
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Coach Rick Carlisle said he expects Toppin (ankle) to play in Monday's game against the Celtics, Scott Agness of FieldhouseFiles.com reports.
Toppin tweaked his ankle during Saturday's win over Miami and was initially listed as questionable for Monday's matchup. He's trending more toward probable at this point, but he likely won't be officially cleared until closer to the 7:30 p.m. ET tipoff.
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Pacers' Tyrese Haliburton: Expected to play
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Coach Rick Carlisle said he expects Haliburton (illness) to play Monday against the Celtics, Scott Agness of FieldhouseFiles.com reports.
Haliburton missed Saturday's win over Miami due to a right knee injury but appears to have moved past that issue, as he was initially listed as questionable for Monday due to an illness. Either way, the superstar point guard is now trending more toward probable and will likely suit up for the quarterfinal matchup of the In-Season Tournament. However, Haliburton presumably won't be officially cleared until closer to the 7:30 p.m. ET tipoff.
Toppin is questionable for Monday's game against the Celtics with a left ankle sprain.
Toppin logged a full workload in Saturday's win over Miami and finished with 22 points, four blocks, two rebounds, two assists and one steal in 35 minutes, but Indiana head coach Rick Carlisle mentioned after the victory that Toppin had tweaked his ankle at some point during the contest. His status for Monday is uncertain, though the Pacers should have a better idea regarding whether Toppin will be available to play following their morning shootaround. Aaron Nesmith would likely move into the starting lineup at forward if Toppin can't play Monday, and Isaiah Jackson could also benefit from a slight uptick in minutes while filling playing time at center behind starter Myles Turner.
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Pacers' Tyrese Haliburton: Questionable for Monday
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Haliburton is questionable to play in Monday's In-Season Tournament game against Boston with an upper-respiratory infection.
Haliburton previously missed Saturday's win over Miami with a bruised right knee in addition to the infection, and though he's seemingly moved past the injury, the illness is still threatening his status for the upcoming In-Season Tournament game. Given that Monday's game carries more weight than the typical regular-season contest, Haliburton could make a push to play even if he's less than 100 percent, though his availability may hinge on how he looks during the Pacers' morning shootaround. Andrew Nembhard started at point guard Saturday and would likely be in line for another turn on the top unit if Haliburton can't suit up Monday.
Toppin ended Saturday's 144-129 victory over the Heat with 22 points (7-8 FG, 4-5 3Pt, 4-4 FT), two rebounds, two assists, four blocks and one steal in 35 minutes.
Toppin took the second-fewest shots among Indiana's starters, but he nonetheless finished as the team's second-leading scorer thanks to an ultra-efficient 7-for-8 shooting line. That included a 4-for-5 mark from three-point range, and Toppin has now drained at least three triples in three of his past four games after failing to reach that mark in any of his first 14 contests this season. Perhaps most impressively (and unexpectedly), Toppin tallied four blocked shots Saturday -- he had collected just six swats over 17 games coming into the contest.
Turner notched 17 points (8-12 FG, 1-4 3Pt), 10 rebounds, one assist and two blocks in 30 minutes during Saturday's 144-129 victory over the Heat.
Turner struggled with a 5-for-14 shooting line against Miami in his previous game, but he was much more efficient Saturday in a contest during which the Pacers combined to shoot a ridiculous 65.9 percent from the field as a team. The big man added a team-high 10 boards in the win to finish with his fourth double-double of the campaign. With two blocks Saturday, Turner has collected at least one swat in 12 straight contests, and he ranks sixth in the league with 2.1 blocks per game.
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Pacers' Bruce Brown: Pours in season-high 30 points
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Brown provided 30 points (11-16 FG, 4-6 3Pt, 4-5 FT), four rebounds and two assists over 37 minutes during Saturday's 144-129 victory over the Heat.
Tyrese Haliburton (knee) sat out the contest, and Brown ended up working as the Pacers' go-to scorer in his stead, leading the team in shot attempts and points. The 30-point effort was a season-best mark for the forward, surpassing the 24 points he posted Opening Night against Washington. Brown's scoring hasn't been prolific in his first season with Indiana, as he's averaging a modest 12.7 points per game, but he has been fairly consistent of late with double-digit scoring in eight straight contests.
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Pacers' T.J. McConnell: Hits 10 of 11 shots off bench
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McConnell logged 20 points (10-11 FG), two rebounds and 11 assists over 25 minutes during Saturday's 144-129 victory over the Heat.
The Pacers shot an incredible 65.9 percent from the field as a team in the win, and McConnell was a big part of that efficiency with his 10-for-11 shooting line. As usual, he didn't venture into deep territory for his shots -- of his 70 field-goal tries on the campaign, only six have come from three-point range. McConnell has converted that into an impressive 58.6 percent field-goal percentage, which is on pace to be the best of his career. The veteran point guard added a season-high 11 dimes Saturday to round out his first double-double of the campaign, but it should be noted that his 25 minutes were well above his season average, with the extended opportunity being largely a result of Tyrese Haliburton (knee) sitting out. As efficient as McConnell has been this season, he hasn't been seeing much run when Haliburton is healthy.
