Tag: Indiana Pacers

Kyrie Irving questionable to play Monday against Pacers

The Brooklyn Nets could be without Kyrie Irving for back-to-back games.

Kyrie Irving’s right shoulder continues to be a problem for the point guard. He has been ruled questionable ahead of Monday’s game at Barclays Center against the Indiana Pacers.

Since Wednesday, Irving has been dealing with a right shoulder impingement. He was ruled questionable before the games in Denver and Chicago, as well. He played in the Nets loss to the Nuggets, but sat out in the win over the Bulls.

Spencer Dinwiddie started at point guard for the Nets on Saturday in Irving’s place. Now in his fourth year with the Nets, Dinwiddie had a big performance against the Bulls. He scored 24 points in Brooklyn’s win. Twenty of those points came in the fourth quarter, as Dindiddie set a new personal record for most points in a quarter in his NBA career.

RELATED: Kenny Atkinson likens Spencer Dinwiddie to a tailback

RELATED: Spencer Dinwiddie leads Nets past Bulls in final game of road trip

Three takeaways from Thunder’s 127-119 OT win over Philadelphia

Against the 76ers, Terrance Ferguson scored a season-high 19, the Thunder struggled in the third quarter and OKC hit their free throws.

Oklahoma City beat the 76ers 127-119 in overtime Friday night. It was the Thunder’s first overtime game of the season and a solid win before heading out to the West Coast for a two-game set in Los Angeles against the Clippers and the Lakers.

Here are three takeaways from OKC’s win over Philadelphia:

 

Terrance Ferguson showed out

After missing Tuesday’s loss at Indiana due to personal reasons, Ferguson returned to the starting lineup against Philadelphia.

He scored a season-high 19 points on 7-of-9 shooting from the field, including hitting on five of his seven attempts from beyond the arc. Ferguson had only hit five three-pointers combined in the previous seven games.

After the game, he credited his daughter and Steven Adams for his success.

 

The Thunder’s third-quarter struggles continue

As noted by Maddie Lee of The Oklahoman, Oklahoma City’s “trend of falling behind” in the third quarter continued once again Friday night against the 76ers.

The Thunder took a 54-59 lead into the half, only to be outscored 34-26 in the third quarter.

Their struggles continued until the 7:20 mark of the 4th quarter when OKC trailed by nine points. From there, the Thunder closed the game on a 22-13 run to end regulation tied at 107.

 

Free throw shooting helped seal the victory

The Thunder aren’t known as automatic from the free-throw line. Far from it.

But when it mattered against Philadelphia, OKC knocked them down.

Oklahoma City was 8-for-8 in overtime from the line. Danilo Gallinari hit all four of his attempts, with both Chris Paul and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander making a pair each.

Both Gallinari (11-for-11) and Paul (12-for-12) were perfect on the night. Per the Thunder, it’s the first time in the organization’s history that two players were perfect from the free-throw line with more than ten attempts each.

As a team, the Thunder shot 85.7% from the line, connecting on 35-of-41 free throws.

Ferguson credits daughter for season-high 19 points against Philadelphia

Ferguson said it was his daughter’s first home game, calling his performance in the win over Philadelphia “one for the books”.

Terrance Ferguson scored a season-high 19 points in the Thunder’s 127-119 overtime win over Philadelphia Friday night.

His performance alone was something to be excited about, but there was one thing that made it even more special – his daughter was there to see it.

Ferguson told reporters in the locker room afterward that it was his daughter’s first home game.

“It was my daughter’s first home game, so I was excited for that,” Ferguson said. “One for the books.”

Back in the starting lineup against the 76ers, Ferguson scored 19 points and hit on seven of his nine field-goal attempts, including a 5-of-7 mark from the three-point line.

As noted by Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman, prior to the win over the 76ers, Ferguson “made only five 3-pointers in his last seven games.”

According to Mussatto, Ferguson also credited his big night to Steven Adams.

“It was Steve-O as well,” he said of Thunder center Steven Adams. “Every time I caught the ball, Steve-O was like, ‘shoot it.’ I don’t have no choice but to shoot it when Steve-O tells me to.”

Ferguson missed Tuesday’s 111-85 loss to the Pacers for personal reasons as he did not travel with the Thunder to Indiana due to a custody hearing regarding his daughter.

Bucks-Pacers odds: Milwaukee favored in Indy

Previewing Saturday’s Milwaukee Bucks at Indiana Pacers sports betting odds and lines, with NBA matchup analysis and picks.

The Milwaukee Bucks (8-3) travel to meet the Indiana Pacers (7-5) Saturday at 7:00 p.m. ET. We analyze the Bucks-Pacers odds and lines, with NBA betting advice and tips around the matchup.

Place a legal sports bet on this NBA action or other games at BetMGM.

Bucks at Pacers: Key injuries

Bucks: SF Khris Middleton (thigh) will be sidelined until early December.

Pacers: SG Malcolm Brogdon (back) is listed as questionable to face his former team, while C Myles Turner (ankle) is also a question mark.

Bucks at Pacers: Odds, lines, picks and betting tips

NBA odds courtesy of BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports for a full set of today’s betting odds. Odds last updated at 9:30 a.m. ET.

Prediction

Bucks 113, Pacers 100

Moneyline (ML)

PASS. The Bucks (-228) are rather expensive, as you need to lay more than two times the money for a meager return.

New to sports betting? Every $1 wagered that Milwaukee wins profits $0.44 if the Bucks prevail. (Ex: Bet $10 to win $4.40, $20 to win $8.80, $22.80 to win $10).

Line/Against the Spread (ATS)

Take the BUCKS (-4.5, –129) for this road battle, although you’ll be ‘bucking’ some trends. Milwaukee is just 3-7 against the spread in the past 10 road games, and 0-4 ATS in the past four games overall. They are 18-7-1 ATS in the past 26 games inside the Central Division.

The favorite is also 8-2 ATS in the past 10 meetings in this series. However, for the Pacers (+4.5, +105), they’re 0-6-1 ATS in the past seven against teams with a winning overall record, and 3-10 ATS in the last 13 games against teams with a winning percentage of .600 or better.

Over/under (O/U)

The UNDER 225.5 (+105) is a decent bargain, especially at plus-money. The Under has connected in five straight meetings in Indianapolis, and six of the past seven in this series. The Under is also 3-1-1 in the past five home games for the Pacers, too.

Want some action on this game? Place a bet at BetMGM now. For more sports betting tips and advice, visit SportsbookWire.com.

Follow @JoeWilliamsVI and @SportsbookWire on Twitter.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services.  Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

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James Harden scores 44 to lead Rockets to sixth straight win

Despite several rotation injuries, James Harden scored 44 to lead Houston to a sixth straight win in Friday’s home victory over Indiana.

The Houston Rockets were down two starters and three rotation players due to injuries, facing an opponent in the Indiana Pacers that entered Friday’s game at 7-4 and on a four-game winning streak.

It didn’t matter much in the end, because they had James Harden.

Led by 44 points (13-of-26 shooting, 6-of-14 on three-pointers) in 40 minutes from the NBA’s leading scorer and 2018 Most Valuable Player (MVP), the Rockets used a 14-0 run in the fourth quarter to pull away from the Pacers and win their sixth consecutive game.

The 111-102 victory improved the Rockets to 9-3 on the 2019-20 season, which ranks second in the Western Conference.

Harden — who scored 17 of his 44 points in the fourth quarter — also had eight rebounds, five assists, and four steals.

With center Clint Capela (concussion), forward Danuel House Jr. (bruised back), and guard Eric Gordon (knee surgery) all out with various injuries, the Rockets still found a way to win thanks to Harden and key contributions from replacement starters Ben McLemore and Tyson Chandler.

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McLemore made four three-pointers and scored a season-high 21 points, while Chandler had provided strong rim protection and had Houston’s best plus/minus at +24 in his 25 minutes played.

Russell Westbrook had 17 points and a key three-pointer in the fourth quarter, along with eight rebounds and six assists. However, his shooting slump continued with just five makes in 21 attempts.

With Capela unavailable as a rim protector, the Pacers were led by promising young big man Domantas Sabonis, who scored 18 points and grabbed 13 rebounds (box score). Indiana led by four points with under nine minutes left before Harden led Houston’s decisive run.

Westbrook is likely to sit out during Saturday’s game at Minnesota for planned maintenance, since it’s a back-to-back and he’s still recovering from an offseason knee scope. However, Houston coach Mike D’Antoni said before Friday’s game that House might return for that game, which could help to fill Westbrook’s rotation minutes.

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Hamidou Diallo questionable for Friday’s game with left knee sprain

According to Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman, Diallo did not practice Thursday and will be a game-time decision Friday night.

Hamidou Diallo’s availability for Friday night’s game against the Philadelphia 76ers is in jeopardy.

Diallo was listed as questionable with a left knee sprain on the NBA injury report released at 8:30 p.m. Thursday.

According to Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman, Diallo did not practice Thursday and “Billy Donovan will update Diallo’s status Friday evening before Oklahoma City’s 7 p.m. tip-off against the 76ers”.

No additional information about how or when Diallo suffered the knee sprain has been made available.

He made his first start of the season Tuesday at Indiana, in place of Terrance Ferguson, who did not make the trip due to a custody hearing.

In the Thunder’s 111-85 loss to Indiana, Diallo scored just two points and took only four shots in 22 minutes of game time.

For the season, Diallo is averaging 8.8 points and 4.0 rebounds in 22 minutes per game while shooting 50% from the field.

The start was the fourth of Diallo’s career.

Rockets center Clint Capela to miss at least one game with head injury

Houston Rockets center Clint Capela is out for Friday’s game versus Indiana and doubtful for Saturday in Minnesota with a head injury.

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The Houston Rockets (8-3) have won five consecutive games, but they’ll likely need some players near the end of their bench to step up this weekend against strong competition to keep the streak going.

Starting center Clint Capela is out for Friday’s home matchup versus Indiana (7-4) with a head injury and doubtful for Saturday’s road game at Minnesota (7-3), head coach Mike D’Antoni confirmed at Thursday’s practice. The 25-year-old left Wednesday’s win over the Clippers in the fourth quarter after taking a hit to his head in a collision with Los Angeles big man JaMychal Green.

Capela was evaluated postgame for a concussion,  and the Rockets say he will be re-evaluated before Saturday’s game. However, as of Thursday, Capela had not been diagnosed with a concussion.

Capela has grabbed at least 20 rebounds in each of his last three games played, making him the first Rockets player to do so since Moses Malone in 1982. His rebounding presence has been a big part of the Rockets’ remarkable defensive turnaround, with Houston going from the NBA’s second-worst team in defensive rating over the first six games (3-3) to the league’s No. 1 defense over the current streak.

The timing of the 6-foot-10 big man’s absence is not ideal for the Rockets, who have the weekend back-to-back against two teams led by elite big men. Indiana has Domantas Sabonis, who is averaging 19.8 points and 13.3 rebounds per game this season, while Minnesota’s Karl-Anthony Towns is averaging 25.8 points and 12.0 rebounds.

Tyson Chandler finished Wednesday’s game at center after Capela exited, posting an impressive nine rebounds in 16 minutes. At practice, D’Antoni said Chandler would start in Capela’s place.

At 37 years old and in his 19th season, however, Chandler is unlikely to play anywhere close to Capela’s average of 30.2 minutes per game. And with Sabonis and Towns looming, it seems doubtful that D’Antoni would play the majority of both games without a center.

Moreover, D’Antoni’s preferred smaller lineups with P.J. Tucker at center are complicated at the moment by the back injury to Danuel House Jr., who often slides to power forward when Tucker is in the middle. House is doubtful for Friday after sitting out Wednesday.

Thus, the Rockets may have no choice but to turn to young seven-footer Isaiah Hartenstein to fill at least some of Capela’s usual minutes. The third-year center has averaged 24.0 points (59.6% shooting), 16.7 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game this season with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, Houston’s NBA G League affiliate.

Hartenstein has yet to play in the NBA this season, though he did play sparingly in 28 games in the 2018-19 season. Given the size and skill of this weekend’s opposing bigs, D’Antoni could be forced to roll the dice and experiment with Houston’s athletic 21-year-old prospect.

Veteran forward Ryan Anderson could be another short-term option, but he’s relatively undersized for a center at 6-foot-9 and 240 pounds and doesn’t provide much rim protection or defensive value.

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Victor Oladipo keeps denying he’s on ‘The Masked Singer’ … but all signs point to it

Seriously, it’s got to be Oladipo … right?

We were over this like two months ago: every single sign has pointed to and will continue to point to Indiana Pacers guard Victor Oladipo being the Thingamajig on The Masked Singer.

A reminder: per the initial clues, he wears No. 4, used to play for the Orlando Magic and has one of the best singing voices of any athlete in pro sports.

Since then, however, Thingamjig has continued to sing his heart out and hasn’t been revealed. And Oladipo — who is working his way back to the Pacers from a knee injury — keeps denying it.

Here’s one from a Pacers broadcast in October:

And he said it again the other day: “I keep getting that stuff, too, can y’all please stop @ing me? … I don’t even know what that is. Look at me, why would I hide my face, anyway?

Mhmmm. That’s EXACTLY what someone who was on The Masked Singer would say!

The clues since his first appearance have included more magic references and not “(running) with Bulls” (!):

Anyway, here’s more of someone who is likely Oladipo performing some beautiful tunes:

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Report: Ferguson missed Tuesday’s game against Pacers due to custody hearing

Per a report from The Oklahoman, Ferguson did not travel to Indianapolis because he was attending a custody hearing with his ex-fiancée.

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Terrance Ferguson was not on the court for the Thunder against the Pacers on Tuesday.

His absence from the lineup against Indiana was officially listed as ‘personal reasons’, and according to Maddie Lee of The Oklahoman, the personal reason was a custody hearing with his ex-fiancée.

It’s the latest development in what has been an ongoing battle between Ferguson and his former fiancée, Lawren Jenson.

Per The Oklahoman, “Jensen filed an application for an emergency order for sole custody of their daughter. On Tuesday, a judge denied the emergency order, ruling in Ferguson’s favor”.

In a statement to The Oklahoman, the Thunder said:

“Terrance has kept us aware of this personal matter. But because it is a legal situation, we defer to his representation for comment.”

Ferguson had posted to his Instagram story on Nov. 2 with the cryptic caption “The devil is working his (expletive) off in my life. Y’all please pray for me and my daughter.”

As stated by The Oklahoman, “the custody battle began in June (2019) when Ferguson sought sold custody of their daughter”. The report also says that in the initial petition, Ferguson sought sole custody of their caught, stating that “it’s in the best interest of the child.”

Ferguson has started all ten games that he’s played for the Thunder this season. He’s averaging 4.1 points and 1.9 rebounds in 22.3 minutes per game.

Rapid reax: Three takeaway’s from OKC’s 111-85 loss to the Pacers

The Thunder struggled offensively against Indiana, had some personnel issues that allowed Devon Hall to see his first NBA action, and shot well from the free-throw line.

There aren’t a ton of positives to come out of the Thunder’s first lopsided loss of the 2019-20 season, a 111-85 drubbing at the hands of the Indiana Pacers.

But here are three rapid reactions.

Oklahoma City’s shooting wasn’t just cold, it was downright frigid.

When Steven Adams missed a six-footer to start the game, it should’ve been a sign that the Thunder were in for a long night. OKC missed their first five shots from the floor and never recovered.

Their only lead came at 12-10 with 6:30 to play in the first quarter.

As noted by The Oklahoman‘s Joe Mussatto, OKC’s three-guard lineup of Chris Paul, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Dennis Schröder that has been so effective at times this year, combined to shoot only 8-of-28 from the floor. The trio accounted for 27 of the team’s 85 points.

Even Danilo Gallinari, who led the team with 14, had a quiet night and missed all of his three-point attempts.

Devon Hall made his NBA debut.

Hall saw limited time in Tuesday night’s loss, but it’s still good experience for the guard out of Virginia that the Thunder signed to a two-way contract.

He played for seven minutes and took only one shot, which he made, a layup with 5:55 left to play in the game.

Hey, the free throw shooting was good.

Usually, the free throwing shooting is something that stands out as a glaring negative on the post-game stat sheet.

Tuesday, it was one of the best things about the box score.

Oklahoma City shot 87.5% from the charity stripe, making 21-of-24. Gallinari was a perfect 8-for-8, Gilgeous-Alexander a perfect 4-for-4 and Abdel Nader and Dennis Schröder hit both of their attempts.

The biggest issue with the free throw shooting was that both Chris Paul and Hamidou Diallo, guards that need to be taking to the basket and getting fouled, didn’t take any free throw attempts.