Indiana Pacers win first game in Tyrese Haliburton's absence with good defensive effort against Washington Wizards

The Pacers played their first game since Haliburton's injury on Wednesday

The Indiana Pacers began their short-term new reality on Wednesday night as they hosted the Washington Wizards. It was the Pacers first game since Tyrese Haliburton suffered a Grade 1 hamstring strain.

The Pacers were going to have to adjust without their star, and they started Andrew Nembhard in his place at point guard. Jalen Smith and Jarace Walker were also out for Indiana, so their rotation looked a lot different than it did just two days earlier. Obi Toppin was back in the opening five with Smith out.

Indiana's starters had never played a single minute together as a five-man unit entering the night, so the first few minutes of the game were going to be vital. Building some chemistry and finding ways to succeed was going to be a theme for the Pacers not just tonight, but in every game until Haliburton returns.

After three minutes of play, despite a high-paced game it was 5-4 Pacers. Shots weren't falling on either end, and it was an ugly game. The Wizards were 2/7 and the Pacers had four turnovers in the early sequences.

The blue and gold were struggling to score and trailed 15-9 a few minutes later. They were 4/13 from the field at the time, and they had knocked down just one outside shot. Despite playing defense well enough to stay in the game, the Pacers still were down by six points.

Head coach Rick Carlisle brought in Buddy Hield and Bennedict Mathurin soon after, two bench players who can put up points. Their ability to get the ball through the net alone was going to be important for Indiana after their sluggish start.

Soon after the substitutions, Indiana cut the lead down to two and forced a timeout by Washington. T.J. McConnell scored off a steal, a sequence that the Pacers needed to have occur often in a game like this.

The Pacers bench kept succeeding, and the Wizards weren't playing inspiring basketball. That allowed Indiana to get the lead back. They were ahead 23-21 after the first frame, but both teams were shooting below 40% and had four-plus turnovers.

The second period opened with more ugly play. Neither team could make shots or go on a long run. Mathurin was supplying rim pressure for Indiana, but it wasn't leading to enough production for the whole team. The young guard was personally scoring well, though.

Nothing changed during the middle stages of the second quarter. The game continued to be ugly, with neither team able to string together stops or makes. It was a low-scoring affair.

With about four minutes left in the first half, the Wizards led and were shooting 36.6% from the field. That was actually higher than the Pacers shooting percentage to that point. Finding space and hitting the bottom of the net was a tough task in this game.

Finally, both teams found a groove last in the closing moments of the half. They each got their shooting percentages above 40% and had fewer turnovers. Washington was slightly ahead after 24 minutes, leading the Pacers 55-54 at the break. Mathurin's 10 points paced Indiana.

The second half opened with great play from the Pacers. They were attacking the rim and making their shots, which led to a 7-0 run in the first 92 seconds of the half. Indiana went ahead by six at the time, and the Wizards were forced to take an early timeout.

Not long after, the blue and gold got their lead to 10, and they held the advantage around that number for the next few minutes. Shots were finally dropping for the Pacers, and 22 of their 26 made shots were assisted to that point. They were doing enough to control the game in the third quarter.

Both teams made substitutions in the later stages of the frame, but that did little to slow down the Pacers. They still led by 10 with three minutes to go in the third as McConnell and Mathurin put pressure on the rim. The offense looked much better than it did in the first half.

Jordan Nwora got going for the Pacers late in the third period, and McConnell added in some nice plays. Those two helped keep Indiana ahead after three quarters, and it was 89-80 heading into the final frame. Myles Turner led the way with 15 points at that moment.

The fourth opened with decent play from the Wizards, who cut the lead to seven inside the first three minutes of the period. They looked more connected on the defensive end and were forcing the Pacers into a few missed shots.

The blue and gold responded, though, and got out of their funk. With seven minutes to go in the action, they took a 13-point lead thanks to a three from Toppin. Their ability level was where it needed to be on both ends.

Indiana's lead reached 17 with 4:47 to go in the game, and they appeared to be a team that was going to cruise to a win. But they slammed into a wall. For the next two-and-a-half minutes, they gave up a 9-0 run and watched their lead dip to eight. They still had work to do to close out the game.

Carlisle called a timeout, and his team scored on each of the next two possessions. That was enough to get their lead to 12 with less than two minutes to go, which was significant enough to make a victory easy.

The blue and gold held on to win 112-104. Any win without Haliburton is good for the Pacers at this stage of the season, and they will take this one. They improved to 22-15 with the victory.

Turner led the way with 18 points and 13 rebounds. Brown and Mathurin each contributed 16. The Pacers held the Wizards to 104 points, which is tied for their lowest points allowed number this campaign.

Indiana next plays on Friday, which is the start of a six-game road trip. They'll take on the Hawks in Atlanta.

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• Sources: Tyrese Haliburton will be re-evaluated after Indiana Pacers road trip with Grade 1 hamstring strain. CLICK HERE.
• Indiana Pacers 50-assist night shows how connected the current team is. CLICK HERE.
• James Johnson's contract with the Indiana Pacers is guaranteed for the rest of the 2023-24 season. CLICK HERE.
• Indiana Pacers survive versus Boston Celtics even after Tyrese Haliburton injury. CLICK HERE.
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