Last Updated: March 31 at 10:45 AM
Hickory Game
The Pacers will wear their Hickory uniforms on Sunday, their final road game this season in Hickory gear. Learn more about the uniforms and why we wear them at Pacers.com/Hickory.
Matchup
The Pacers took care of business against inferior opponents to start their four-game Western Conference road trip, beating the injury-riddled Warriors and lottery-bound Kings earlier this week. Now, Indiana (45-31) faces a stiffer test in next two games against two teams battling for a playoff spot.
First up, the Blue & Gold head to Los Angeles to take on the Clippers (41-35). The Pacers edged the Clips last Friday at Bankers Life Fieldhouse to start their current four-game win streak, but L.A. bounced back by winning its next three games, including an impressive victory in Toronto over the East-leading Raptors, before falling on Friday night in Portland.
Entering Friday, the Clippers are currently just outside the playoffs in the West, but are only two game backs of Utah and New Orleans (the current owners of the final two postseason spots), so they should have plenty of motivation when the Pacers enter their building on Sunday.
PLAYOFF PICTURE: Track the Pacers' Playoff Push »
The Clippers are led by veteran guard Lou Williams, whose 13th season in the NBA has been undoubtedly his best. Williams is a favorite to take home NBA Sixth Man of the Year honors for the second time in his career. Coming off the bench for all but 19 games, he ranks 16th in the league in scoring at 22.7 points per game and is also averaging a career-high 5.4 assists per contest.
The Pacers are still fighting for a top-four seed in the Eastern Conference (and homecourt advantage in the first round of the playoffs). They remain in fifth place, however, just behind Cleveland and Philadelphia in the standings, so they will need a strong finish to pass either or both of them down the stretch.
That won't be an easy task, with road games still with the Clippers, fellow playoff hopeful Denver on Tuesday, and Toronto next Friday. But this Pacers team has defied the odds all season, so why stop now?
Projected Starters
Darren Collison
Victor Oladipo
Bojan Bogdanovic
Thaddeus Young
Myles Turner
Austin Rivers
Ty Wallace
Wes Johnson
Tobias Harris
DeAndre Jordan
Pacers: PG - Darren Collison, SG - Victor Oladipo, SF - Bojan Bogdanovic, PF - Thaddeus Young, C - Myles Turner
Clippers: PG - Austin Rivers, SG - Ty Wallace, SF - Wes Johnson, PF - Tobias Harris, C - DeAndre Jordan
Injury Report
Pacers: Trevor Booker - questionable (sprained right ankle)
Clippers: TBD
Last Meeting
March 23, 2018: The Pacers blew an 18-point lead in the second half, but forced three consecutive turnovers in the closing minutes to rally past the Clippers at Bankers Life Fieldhouse, 109-104.
"That's what it's all about," Victor Oladipo said after the win. "Making big plays down the stretch, both offensively and defensively. That's what we did."
Bojan Bogdanovic led all scorers with 28 points, going 12-for-18 from the field and 3-for-6 from 3-point range to lead Indiana to the win. Oladipo had 18 points and six assists, while both Young (16 points and 10 rebounds) and Darren Collison (13 points and 10 assists) recorded double-doubles.
Lou Williams led the Clippers with 27 points and 10 assists off the bench. Tobias Harris added 18 points, while DeAndre Jordan finished with 14 points and 11 rebounds.
Noteworthy
- With a win on Sunday, Indiana would sweep the season series with the Clippers for the second straight season and the third time in the past five seasons.
- The Pacers are 10-3 this season when playing on Sunday, a better record than they have on any other day of the week.
- With 158 steals on the season, Oladipo is two steals from passing Ron Artest (2002-03) for the most steals by a Pacers player in a single season in the last 25 years.
Tickets
Following a four-game road trip, the Pacers return to Bankers Life Fieldhouse to host the Golden State Warriors on Thursday, April 5 at 7:00 PM ET. Find Tickets »
Broadcast Information TV & Radio Listings »
TV: FOX Sports Indiana - Chris Denari (play-by-play), Quinn Buckner (analyst), Jeremiah Johnson (sideline reporter/host)
Radio: 107.5 FM/AM 1070 The Fan - Mark Boyle (play-by-play), Pat Boylan (studio host)