SI:AM | The Jekyll-and-Hyde Pacers
Good morning, I’m Dan Gartland. A quick programming note: There will be no SI:AM tomorrow for Thanksgiving, but I’ll be back in your inbox Friday to talk college football.
In today’s SI:AM:
????️ The Pacers’ high pace
???? College football coaching carousel
???? NFL MVP race
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Every Pacers game is a track meet
The Pacers and Hawks played one of the highest-scoring nonovertime games in NBA history last night, with Indiana prevailing 157–152 to clinch a spot in the quarterfinals of the in-season tournament.
It was just the second time since 1990 and seventh time overall that two teams each scored 150 points in a regulation game.
Given how the first month of the season has gone for the Pacers, they might have more barnburners like this one on the horizon. Indiana’s offense has been historically good over its first 13 games, but the defense has also been historically terrible.
The Pacers are averaging an absurd 128.1 points per game this season and an equally unreal 122.7 points per 100 possessions. Both numbers are higher than what any team has averaged over the course of an entire season in NBA history. With the caveat that it will be difficult to maintain that kind of scoring pace over the rest of their 69 games remaining this season, what the Pacers have done offensively even in this small sample is still wildly impressive. Indiana has scored 1,665 points in its first 13 games this season. Since 1990, only three teams have scored at least 1,600 points in a 13-game span (the 2022–23 Kings, ’20–21 Wizards and ’18–19 Warriors).
But while the offense has been unstoppable, the defense hasn’t stopped anyone. Indiana ranks dead last in the NBA with 125.9 points allowed per game. If it keeps that up over the rest of the season, it would be the third-worst defense in NBA history by that measure.
As you might expect, that combination of elite offense and atrocious defense has led to a so-so start for the Pacers. They’re 8–5 thus far, good for sixth in the Eastern Conference. They might be scoring like the Warriors dynasty of the last decade, but they’re not winning like them. Still, it’s better than the Pacers have been in a long time. They haven’t made the playoffs since the 2019–20 season, and if they can get the defense to be just a little bit better, a return to the postseason is well within reach. They don’t even need the defense to be good. The offense is good enough that even a defense ranked, say, 25th in the league, would pay enormous dividends.
The biggest key to the Pacers’ success this season has been the leap forward of point guard Tyrese Haliburton. After a breakout season last year in which he was named an All-Star for the first time, Haliburton is even better this year. He’s averaging 24.7 points per game with a .518 shooting percentage, both the best of his career, and is leading the league with 12.0 assists per game.
Haliburton went off in last night’s win over the Hawks, scoring 37 points on 11-of-18 shooting with 16 assists.
“Tyrese, you just run out of accolades,” Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said after the game. “Fearless, leader, great competitor—so happy for him.”
It would be a stretch right now to call the Pacers “good,” but they’re at least a lot of fun to watch, and that’s something you haven’t been able to say about them in a long time.
The best of Sports Illustrated
Stephen Lew/USA TODAY Sports
- With the college football coaching carousel about to kick into high gear, Richard Johnson looks at possible candidates for all the open jobs and the ones that could be opening.
- Johnson also has a guide to the best games of college football’s Rivalry Week.
- In his latest Business of Football column, Andrew Brandt examines how college football is beginning to resemble the NFL.
- If the Pacers are the NBA’s most entertaining team, the Pistons are the exact opposite. Rohan Nadkarni has more on why Detroit is so miserable to watch.
- Matt Verderame takes stock of the NFL MVP race, making the case that Myles Garrett deserves to be considered.
- LSU coach Kim Mulkey has failed Angel Reese by allowing speculation about the reason behind her absence run wild, Emma Baccellieri writes.
- Alex Miceli wonders why the lawsuit filed against Tiger Woods by his former girlfriend Erica Herman, which was dismissed last week, was allowed to drag on for so long.
- The CFP committee made one slight but significant change in its latest rankings.
- Victor Wembanyama’s jersey from his NBA debut sold for more than $700,000.
The top five...
… things I saw last night:
5. A perfect no-look pass by LeBron James.
4. The final 90 seconds of the Pacers-Hawks game.
3. Buffalo’s comically terrible fake punt against Eastern Michigan.
2. Charles Barkley’s comment about Jordan Clarkson’s outfit.
1. ECU’s game-winning shot at the buzzer from beyond half court.
SIQ
The Packers’ game against the Lions tomorrow will be their 37th appearance on Thanksgiving Day, tied with which other franchise for the most Thanksgiving games in NFL history (excluding traditional annual hosts Detroit and Dallas)?
- Bears
- Steelers
- Giants
- Commanders
Yesterday’s SIQ: Saturday’s Ohio State–Michigan game will be the third straight edition of the annual rivalry in which both teams are ranked in the top five. Which school holds the edge in the previous 13 top-five meetings?
Answer: Ohio State, although recent history favors Michigan. The Buckeyes hold a 7-5-1 advantage in previous top-five meetings. Five of the first six top-five meetings were won by Ohio State, with a 10–10 tie in 1973 the lone exception. But Michigan has won five of the last seven, including the previous two.
One trend points in Michigan’s favor for this weekend’s game. While the home team is 21-11-1 in the series since 1989, the home field advantage has been more significant in top-five matchups, with the home team winning 10 of the previous 13 such meetings. The Wolverines, fresh off their first win in Columbus in more than 20 years last season, are hosting this year’s game.