Matchup
Coming off two straight losses, the Pacers (11-8) are hoping they can get healthy before embarking a four-game road trip that begins on Monday night in Utah.
All-Star guard Victor Oladipo has missed three straight games due to a sore right knee and he was joined in street clothes by starting center Myles Turner (sore left ankle) during Friday's 111-100 loss to San Antonio at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.
Without Oladipo and Turner, quite possibly the Pacers' two best defenders, Indiana allowed the Spurs to shoot 50.6 percent from the field in a wire-to-wire win. The Blue & Gold have now seen their opponents make more than half their shots in back-to-back games (Charlotte shot 56.2 percent in a 127-109 win on Wednesday) after holding their first 17 opponents this season under 50 percent.
Indiana's offense also struggled on Friday, particularly from beyond the 3-point arc, where the Pacers went just 3-for-24. Guards Darren Collison, Tyreke Evans, and Aaron Holiday combined to miss all 13 of their 3-point attempts.
It was a dramatic departure from their play in a 28-point win over the Jazz last Monday in the Pacers' first game without Oladipo. Indiana dominated that one, shooting 48 percent from beyond the arc and dishing out a season-best 35 assists.
The Jazz (8-11) will definitely have that game fresh in their minds when these two teams meet again in Salt Lake City, especially leading scorer Donovan Mitchell, who the Pacers held to a season-low seven points in 32 minutes of action.
Projected Starters
Pacers: PG - Darren Collison, SG - Tyreke Evans, SF - Bojan Bogdanovic, PF - Thaddeus Young, C - Domantas Sabonis
Jazz: PG - Ricky Rubio, SG - Donovan Mitchell, SF - Joe Ingles, PF - Derrick Favors, C - Rudy Gobert
Injury Report
Pacers: Victor Oladipo - questionable (sore right knee), Myles Turner - questionable (sore left ankle)
Jazz: TBD
Last Meeting
November 19, 2018: Victor Oladipo's absence had no impact on the Pacers' performance, as Indiana put on an offensive clinic in a 121-94 win over the Jazz at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.
The Pacers shot 52.7 percent from the field and 48 percent from the 3-point line, but even more impressively, they had a season-high 35 assists and just nine turnovers.
"When I’ve been talking about ball movement and getting everyone involved, this is what we are talking about," Pacers head coach Nate McMillan said. "Tonight, they executed the game plan perfectly."
Backup center Domantas Sabonis flirted with a triple-double, dishing out a career-best nine assists to go along with 19 points on 7-of-9 shooting and nine rebounds. Bojan Bogdanovic scored a team-high 21 points on 9-of-14 shooting (3-of-4 from 3-point range), while rookie Aaron Holiday scored 16 of his 19 points after halftime.
Jazz guard Rubio led all scorers and matched his season high with 28 points, going 10-for-13 from the field and 5-for-6 from 3-point range. Jae Crowder added 14 points, while Rudy Gobert had a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds in the loss.
Noteworthy
- With a win on Monday, the Pacers would sweep the season series with Utah for the first time since the 2014-15 season.
- Indiana has won three of its last five games in Utah. Prior to that, the Jazz had won six straight home games against the Pacers.
- Jazz forward Georges Niang was drafted by the Pacers with the 50th overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft and spent his rookie season in Indiana.
Tickets
After a four-game road trip, the Pacers return to Bankers Life Fieldhouse to host the Chicago Bulls on Tuesday, Dec. 4 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)