Indiana Pacers outclass Detroit Pistons for first win of season

The Pacers have improved to 1-2 after taking down the Pistons.

Oct 22, 2022; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indiana Pacers guard Bennedict Mathurin (00) dribbles the ball while Detroit Pistons forward Isaiah Livers (12) defends in the second half at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

On Saturday night, the Indiana Pacers got off to a poor start for the third game in a row, and they trailed the Detroit Pistons by 10 points after the first quarter.

In the Pacers first two games, their first quarter deficit sunk their chance at victory. But this time, the blue and gold found a way to overcome their bad start. They held Detroit to just 44 points in the next two quarters while scoring 63 themselves, and before the third quarter ended, Indiana had a 10-point lead of their own.

Finally, at least for two quarters, the Pacers shook their defensive demons. But they still had to close out a win, something they had yet to do this season. Heck, the Pacers had yet to be leading in a game at all before Saturday night.

The fourth quarter opened as a back-and-forth battle, which favored the Pacers since they had the lead. With about six minutes to go, Detroit found some footing and pushed the lead down to five, which prompted a timeout from head coach Rick Carlisle just 33 seconds after the Pistons called for a break. He wanted to talk to his team to encourage them to make one more push.

It worked. 90 seconds later, the Pacers were up 11, and they carried that lead down the stretch for their first win of the season.

"I made some reminders about our process and how hard we had faught," Carlisle said of that timeout. "And the last five-and-a-half minutes, we were going to have to fight even harder... our answers were strong and decisive. It was great to see."

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Several things changed for the Pacers that weren't present in their two losses. In fact, many things changed — the only constants were brilliance from Tyrese Haliburton and Bennedict Mathurin.

For starters, Carlisle changed the starters. Aaron Nesmith and Isaiah Jackson entered the opening five for Terry Taylor and Chris Duarte, and that tweak proved to be successful. While that lineup in particular showed some warts and finished -2, the rotation was more balanced with that group starting the game off, and it led to better play on both ends.

On top of that, the Pacers finally got better performances from several key role players. Jalen Smith, who the Pacers re-signed this offseason, finished with 19 points and tied his career high with 15 rebounds. His presence was more noticeable than it was in either of Indiana's first two games this season.

"He stepped on the floor with a different posture and disposition at the very beginning of the game," Carlisle said after the game. "He was brilliant."

Goga Bitadze also had a terrific game, finishing with 14 points, a career high 15 rebounds, and four assists. His defense was crisp, and he made all of his shots from inside the arc. It was one of Bitadze's best career games.

Chris Duarte (nine points and impressive defense leading to a team-best +13) and the newest member of the rotation Andrew Nembhard (eight points and three assists) both had solid nights as well. Most players who suited up for the blue and gold did their jobs, but many went above and beyond to capture the win.

The final score was 124-115, and the Pacers scored 72 points in the second half. Role players deserve praise, but it was two emerging talents that led the way for the blue and gold once again in Haliburton and Mathurin.

Haliburton finished with 24 points and ten assists for his second consecutive double double. He also added five steals and only turned the ball over one time, he made few mistakes on offense.

Haliburton hit two three-point shots in the final two-and-a-half minutes to clinch the victory, putting a bow on a dazzling performance.

"I work tirelessly for those shots, I work to earn the right to take those shots," Haliburton said after the game. The Pistons switched a center on to the point guard on both possessions, and Haliburton liked the matchup. So he rose up for the clutch triples.

Mathurin, meanwhile, continues to be tough for defenders to guard. He nailed five threes in this game on his way to 27 points, a career high. Several of his makes either stopped a Pistons run or shifted the momentum of the game. He was huge for the blue and gold.

For the Pacers on Saturday, some of the lineups were new, the defensive intensity was new, and in the end, the result was new. The team is now 1-2 after taking down the Pistons, and they got a much-needed win before heading out on a week-long road trip. Now, the younger team knows how to win and what combinations of players can accomplish the tasks needed to get a victory. They will look to repeat the performance on Monday night when they head to Philadelphia to take on the 0-3 76ers.

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