Matchup
After their thrilling 105-102 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers, the Pacers (19-9) have two days off before they take on the Sacramento Kings (12-15) for the first time during the regular season on Friday.
After struggling to start the season, Sacramento has begun to right the ship as of late. But they still appear to struggle with consistency. The Kings have won four of their past six games, including two impressive road wins over the Dallas Mavericks (110-106) and the Houston Rockets (119-118). Yet their two losses in that span are certainly head-scratchers. On Dec. 13, the team fell to the lowly New York Knicks, 103-101. After beating the hapless Golden State Warriors, the team then fell to a young Charlotte Hornets squad on Tuesday night, 110-102.
Sacramento's roster features a mix of older talent and young exciting players. Including this season, their projected starting squad has a combined 31 years of NBA experience, with former Pacer Cory Joseph leading the way in his ninth season. After going down early in the season with injuries, the Kings' promising youngsters, Marvin Bagley III (13.2 points per game) and De'Aaron Fox (18.3 points per game), have returned to the lineup.
In total, seven Kings are currently scoring in double figures. Fourth-year guard from Oklahoma Buddy Hield leads the way, averaging 21.6 points per contest. Hield also ranks third in the NBA in 3-point attempts made this season with 106. Only James Harden (135) and Graham (112) have made more. Center Richaun Holmes (11.9 points per game) could be a menace for the Pacers as well. He currently ranks third in the NBA in shooting percentage, connecting on 66.5 percent of his shots from the field.
Depending on which version of the Kings shows up, Indiana may be in a close battle once again. Sacramento has played in six games this season that have been decided a single point. They've collected a 4-2 record in those games.
Projected Starters
Malcolm Brogdon
Aaron Holiday
T.J. Warren
Domantas Sabonis
Myles Turner
Cory Joseph
Buddy Hield
Harrison Barnes
Nemanja Bjelica
Richaun Holmes
Pacers: PG - Malcolm Brogdon, SG - Aaron Holiday, SF - T.J. Warren, PF - Domantas Sabonis, C - Myles Turner
Kings: PG - Cory Joseph, SG - Buddy Hield, SF - Harrison Barnes, PF - Nemanja Bjelica, C - Richaun Holmes
Injury Report
Pacers: T.J. Warren - available (illness), Jeremy Lamb - out (sore right groin), Naz Mitrou-Long - out (sprained right ankle), (Victor Oladipo - out (right knee surgery rehab)
Kings: Bogdan Bogdanovic - questionable (right ankle soreness)
Last Meeting
December 8, 2018: Thaddeus Young slammed the potential comeback door shut with back-to-back tough three-point plays just past the midway point of the fourth quarter, and Indiana walked away with the 107-97 victory at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.
Leading by six with 5:18 remaining, Young collected a pass in the paint, and went head first into the Kings' defense. He picked up the bucket and the foul much to the delight of the Indiana crowd. After sinking the free throw, a steal led to Young picking up another and-one, that put the Pacers ahead by 12. The rest was history.
Young finished tied with Buddy Hield for a game-high 20 points, while Bojan Bogdanovic added 18 in the victory. In all, six Pacers scored in double figures, including current Blue & Gold members Domantas Sabonis (14) and Doug McDermott (10). Sabonis also had to fight off the effects of food poisoning en route to his performance.
"We just knew we had to stick together and fight," he said. "There wasn't a lot of energy in this game. Both teams coming off of back-to-backs and we just said the first team to play defense wins."
Noteworthy
- Indiana holds a 49-40 all-time regular season record against Sacramento, and has won five of the past six meetings.
- Harrison Barnes and Doug McDermott know each other very well. Before they were teammates on the Dallas Mavericks during the 2017-18 NBA season, they were teammates at Ames High School in Ames, Iowa. They helped lead the Little Cyclones to consecutive titles in 2009 and 2010.
- Kings center Dewayne Dedmon and Victor Oladipo were teammates on the Orlando Magic from 2016-19.
- The Pacers and Kings played two preseason games against each other in Mumbai, Indiana on Oct. 4-5 as part of the NBA Global Games.
Tickets
The Pacers conclude a three-game homestand by hosting the Sacramento Kings at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on Friday, Dec. 20 at 7:00 PM ET. Find Tickets »
Broadcast Information TV & Radio Listings »
TV: FOX Sports Indiana/NBA TV - Chris Denari (play-by-play), Quinn Buckner (analyst), Jeremiah Johnson (sideline reporter/host)
Radio: 93.5/107.5 FM/1070 AM The Fan - Mark Boyle (play-by-play), Slick Leonard (analyst), Pat Boylan (sideline reporter/host)
Please Note: Inside Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Pacers radio broadcasts can be heard on 1080 AM instead of 1070.