PACERS NEWS RELEASE
GAME PREVIEW: PACERS AT WARRIORS
The Indiana Pacers’ last long road trip of the regular season will next take them on a three-game tour of California, kicking off their West Coast visit with a battle in the Bay Area.
In game two of their five-game away span, the Pacers (39-31) will face the Golden Warriors (36-32) on Friday at Chase Center.
While an out-of-conference matchup, there could be some extra incentive for the Blue & Gold to come out on top against Golden State, as the Pacers could secure at least Play-In Tournament berth if they beat the Warriors.
At the same time, the Blue & Gold could get some help before then, as they would also secure a Play-In spot if the Milwaukee Bucks beat the Brooklyn Nets on Thursday.
The Pacers are currently in sixth place in the East, just a half-game ahead of the Philadelphia 76ers (38-31). The top six teams in the final standings avoid the Play-In and advance directly to the playoffs.
Indiana enters Friday’s game winners of four straight on the road, including a 122-103 victory over the Detroit Pistons (12-56) on Wednesday in the Motor City.
Against the Pistons, Pacers All-Star Tyrese Haliburton shook a string of cold shooting by going 9-for-13 for 20 points in 26 minutes, while Pascal Siakam scored a team-high 25 points on 10-of-15 shooting.
Indiana, the highest-scoring team for almost the entire season, has earned its wins differently in recent weeks. The Pacers are 4-2 over their last six games, as the team has put together some of its best defensive efforts of the season, giving up just 108.5 points per game during that span.
Golden State comes into Friday’s game off a 137-116 win over the Memphis Grizzlies (23-47) on Wednesday. The Warriors have a better record on the road (18-14) than at home (18-18) this season and are 5-5 in their last 10 games.
Against Memphis, three Warriors players scored 20-plus points, led by 26 from Jonathan Kuminga, 23 from Klay Thompson, and 22 by Andrew Wiggins.
A key point of emphasis for the Pacers will be finding a way to slow down two-time MVP Stephen Curry, who torched the Blue & Gold for 42 points on 11 made 3-pointers in a 22-point Golden State win in Indianapolis on Feb. 8. In his 15th season, Curry is still a dominant force, averaging 26.8 points per game and leading the league with 301 made 3-pointers.
In the last matchup between the teams, the Warriors were without Thompson due to injury. After starting early in the season, Thompson has moved into a bench role and provided a major scoring boost for the Warriors’ second unit in recent weeks. Thompson is averaging 17.3 points per game this season.
After playing Golden State, the Pacers will head to the City of Angels to play the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday and Los Angeles Clippers on Monday before concluding their road trip on Wednesday at the Chicago Bulls.
Projected Starters
Pacers: G – Tyrese Haliburton, G – Andrew Nembhard, F – Aaron Nesmith, F – Pascal Siakam, C – Myles Turner
Warriors: G – Stephen Curry, G – Brandon Podziemski, F – Andrew Wiggins, F – Jonathan Kuminga, C – Draymond Green
Injury Report
Pacers: Bennedict Mathurin – out (right shoulder labral tear)
Warriors: TBA
Last Meeting
Feb. 8, 2024: In Indiana’s final pre-All-Star break game, Warriors superstar Steph Curry dropped 42 points in a 131-109 win over the Pacers at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
Indiana trailed 45-34 at the end of the first quarter and never recovered. Curry finished 6-for-6 from 3-point range in the opening frame and had 29 points by halftime in the blowout win.
The Warriors outshot the Pacers 55.9 to 48.1 percent, including making 17 3-pointers to Indiana’s 12 treys. Golden State dominated the boards, outrebounding Indiana 49-30.
Pascal Siakam led six Pacers in double figures with 16 points and eight rebounds, and Myles Turner tallied 15 points and seven boards.
Curry finished 15-for-22 (11-for-16 from 3-point range) shooting for his game-high 42 points, while Jonathan Kuminga had 18 points, Gui Santos scored 13 and Dario Saric and Andrew Wiggins each recorded 11 points for Golden State.
Noteworthy
Friday’s matchup will be the 100th regular season game between the Pacers and Warriors. Indiana leads the all-time series, 52-47.
Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle has 935 career wins, one shy of passing Dick Motta for 13th place on the all-time list.
Pacers center Myles Turner has 1,243 career blocks and needs three more to break Jermaine O’Neal’s franchise record.
If the Warriors win on Friday, it will be their first sweep over the Pacers since the 2018-2019 season.
Warriors rookie Trayce Jackson-Davis is the son of Pacers legend Dale Davis. Jackson-Davis played at Center Grove High School in Greenwood and at Indiana University before being taken by the Warriors with the 57th overall pick in the 2023 Draft.
Broadcast Information (TV and Radio Listings >>)
TV: Bally Sports Indiana – Chris Denari (play-by-play), Quinn Buckner (analyst), Jeremiah Johnson (sideline reporter/host)
Radio: 93.5/107.5 The Fan – Mark Boyle (play-by-play), Eddie Gill (analyst), Pat Boylan (sideline reporter/host)
Tickets
After a five-game road trip, the Pacers will return to Gainbridge Fieldhouse to host LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday, March 29 at 7:00 PM ET.