Matchup
The 2019-20 Indiana Pacers season will get off to a historic start on Friday, over 8,000 miles from Indianapolis. The Pacers are in Mumbai, India for the NBA India Games, the first NBA games ever to be played in India.
Indiana and the Sacramento Kings are set to square off on both Friday and Saturday at the NSCI Dome in Mumbai.
"We're as excited to be here as you guys are to have us," new Pacers guard Malcolm Brogdon told the Indian media at Thursday's practice. "It's a privilege to be able come halfway across the world and play in front of people that don't get the opportunity to see us."
Brogdon is one of several new faces set to make their Pacers debuts in India. After keeping together the same core over the past two seasons, the Pacers did not re-sign a single free agent over the summer, instead bringing in nine new faces.
While All-Star guard Victor Oladipo continues to rehab from rupturing his quad tendon in January, the Pacers still seemingly have the talent to remain competitive in the Eastern Conference until Oladipo's return.
Myles Turner is back at center after leading the NBA in blocked shots a year ago and he'll be joined this year in the starting frontcourt by his 6-11 friend Domantas Sabonis, a finalist for the NBA's Sixth Man Award last season.
On the perimeter, the Pacers brought in plenty of talent. Offseason acquisitions Brogdon, Jeremy Lamb, and T.J. Warren all averaged over 15 points per game last season and help fill out a potentially potent offensive lineup.
The Kings have the longest active playoff drought in the NBA (they last reached the postseason in 2006), but could put an end to that drought this season.
Sacramento finished in ninth in the West last season and have a talented young core in point guard De'Aaron Fox, sharpshooters Buddy Hield and Bogdan Bogdanovic, and second-year big man Marvin Bagley III. The Kings are hopeful that the championship pedigree of new head coach Luke Walton, who won NBA titles both as a player and an assistant, can help lead Sacramento back into the postseason.
Projected Starters
Malcolm Brogdon
Jeremy Lamb
T.J. Warren
Domantas Sabonis
Myles Turner
De'Aaron Fox
Buddy Hield
Harrison Barnes
Marvin Bagley III
Dewayne Dedmon
Pacers: PG - Malcolm Brogdon, SG - Jeremy Lamb, SF - T.J. Warren, PF - Domantas Sabonis, C - Myles Turner
Kings: PG - De'Aaron Fox, SG - Buddy Hield, SF - Harrison Barnes, PF - Marvin Bagley III, C - Dewayne Dedmon
Injury Report
Pacers: Goga Bitadze - out (sprained right ankle), TJ Leaf - out (right quad strain), Naz Mitrou-Long - out (allergic reaction), Victor Oladipo - out (knee surgery rehab), CJ Wilcox - out (right quad strain)
Kings: Harry Giles III - not with team (left knee soreness), Tyler Ulis - not with team (right groin strain)
Last Meeting
December 8, 2018: Seven Pacers scored in double figures as Indiana avenged a one-point loss a week earlier in Sacramento with a 107-97 victory over the Kings at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.
Thaddeus Young led the Pacers with 20 points and nine rebounds, while Bojan Bogdanovic added 18 points. Domantas Sabonis chipped in 14 points and six rebounds off the bench.
Buddy Hield had a team-high 20 points for Sacramento, while De'Aaron Fox added 18 points and six assists in the loss.
Noteworthy
- Cory Joseph signed with Sacramento this offseason after spending the past two seasons with the Pacers.
- The Kings' preseason roster features three players from the state of Indiana: former Park Tudor and Indiana University star Yogi Ferrell, former Homestead and Purdue standout Caleb Swanigan, and rookie Kyle Guy, the 2016 Mr. Basketball at Lawrence Central who helped lead the University of Virginia to a national championship last spring.
- The NBA has worked in recent years to establish a major presence in India. The league opened an NBA office in Mumbai in 2011, one of 12 NBA offices outside the United States. In 2013, the league launched the Reliance Foundation Jr. NBA Program, a comprehensive youth development initiative that aims to develop the game at the grassroots level in India. To date, that program has reached more than 10 million youth from 13,000 schools across 34 cities and has trained more than 13,000 physical instructors nationwide.
Tickets
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Broadcast Information TV & Radio Listings »
TV: FOX Sports Indiana/NBA TV - Chris Denari (play-by-play), Quinn Buckner (analyst)
Radio: 107.5 FM/1070 AM The Fan - Mark Boyle (play-by-play), Pat Boylan (studio host)