Shorthanded Indiana Pacers have no problem taking down Sacramento Kings on the road

The Pacers took on the Kings on Thursday

The Indiana Pacers and Sacramento Kings faced off on Thursday night for the first time of the 2023-24 season. Both teams were on a mini losing streak entering the game and were hoping to get back on track.

Sacramento was the home team and entered the night far healthier than their opponents, so they had an advantage from the opening tip. The Pacers, who made a significant trade on Wednesday, were going to need to play almost perfect basketball with limited resources to win.

The first few minutes were productive for the Pacers. They made each of their first four shots and were ahead 8-4 at the time. They weren't going to be able to keep up that form forever, but they started with the needed energy for this outing.

It didn't take long for Sacramento to capture the lead. They were up 11-10 after three-and-a-half minutes, and they were getting good shots on almost every possession. After another three-point shot dropped, Pacers head coach Rick Carlsile took a timeout.

The stoppage helped. Carlisle's team climbed back ahead 17-16 with about six minutes to go in the first quarter, and his bench was doing a good job of scoring and creating good looks despite being an unusual group.

Indiana started the game 11/15 from the field while Sacramento was 8/11 at the time. Offense was coming easy for both teams, and it was 23-20 Pacers in that instant.

The final minutes of the first period went back-and-forth with Sacramento hitting more threes than Indiana. That swung the game back toward the home team, but only slightly. The Pacers were ahead 34-31 after one quarter. T.J. McConnell led the way with eight points at the time.

As the second period got rolling, the Pacers kept attacking the rim. They took a 39-33 lead after just a few minutes, which led to a timeout from Kings head coach Mike Brown. His team had already conceded 26 points in the paint.

The reset ended up helping Indiana. They kept scoring with ease, and their defensive level maintained. After a Myles Turner three-point shot with eight minutes to go in the second frame, the Pacers took a 10-point lead, their largest of the game at the time.

Their advantage was 11 just a few moments later, but the Kings responded with a surge. They cut the lead down to five with four minutes to go in the half after a three-point shot from Kevin Huerter.

Indiana answered with a run of their own, though, and went back up by 11 later in the half. Their lead reached 13, the largest of the game to that point, with 7.6 seconds to go before the second quarter ended.

That lead held into the break, where the Pacers advantage was 70-57. McConnell had 14 points at the break, a team high. Jalen Smith and Bennedict Mathurin each had 13. It was an impressive start for the blue and gold.

The second half started off with strong play from Sacramento, who was able to cut the lead down to six in less than 100 seconds. They were playing with more urgency, and Indiana wasn't getting to the rim like they were in the first half. Carlisle took a timeout.

The Pacers style was better after the stoppage, but the Kings had momentum and had upped their pace. They were much harder to stop and continued to put pressure on the blue and gold. It was a four-point game with seven minutes left in the third quarter.

Keegan Murray was playing well for Sacramento in the third period. He had multiple dunks, which was the most glaring sign of the Pacers poor defensive level in the frame. The blue and gold were scoring enough to keep their lead, but it didn't look like a sustainable style.

Indiana turned up their defensive level to change that form. They got a few stops and were scoring well as their second unit came in, and they were able to expand their lead back to 10 late in the period. It was an impressive effort.

That advantage remained as the third quarter came to an end. The Pacers entire roster was playing well, and they had 58 points in the paint at the time. McConnell had 20 points and eight assists entering winning time.

The Pacers kept their foot on the gas to open the fourth quarter, and rookie Jarace Walker hit three-point shots on consecutive possessions. Their lead reached 16 at the time, the largest of the game to that point.

Sacramento slashed their deficit down to 10 quickly, so the blue and gold needed to regroup and talk it over. McConnell, among other players, looked exhausted at that point. The high-paced nature of the game was tough for the shorthanded Pacers.

But they were ready with another response. Their lead got back to 14 in short order — Mathurin was making impressive plays in the fourth period. He reached 20 points with just over seven minutes to go.

With 3:20 remaining on the clock, Indiana was ahead by 13 as Brown took a timeout. His team hadn't put together a consistent run of great play since the first few minutes of the second half. They needed to do that again to pull off a comeback win.

Instead, the blue and gold stayed solid and were still up 16 with two minutes to go. They were close to pulling off an impressive road win without several key players.

But the Kings had another punch. They quickly cut the lead all the way down to seven with over a minute remaining. Their press defense and double teams forced several turnovers, which changed the game.

Sacramento kept pushing and forcing errors, and they did well to punish the Pacers mistakes. They cut the lead all the way down to three with five seconds to go and had a chance to tie the game despite being down 16 moments earlier.

The Pacers smartly fouled, and the Kings missed both free throws. Despite nearly collapsing, Smith canned two free throws to ice the game. Indiana held on to win 126-121.

They improved to 24-17 with the win. McConnell finished with 20 points and 10 assists. Smith had 17 points and 13 rebounds. Mathurin had 25 points. It was a team effort for Indiana.

They play the Trail Blazers tomorrow night in Portland.

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