Two nights, two wins? Pacers test their luck against Kings
INDIANAPOLIS -- The Indiana Pacers and Sacramento Kings meet up again Friday night after facing each other just over a week ago and so there shouldn't be any secrets between the two teams.
The Pacers came away with a 106-100 victory in Sacramento in that last matchup. Indiana trailed by 19 points at halftime and was still able to pull off a rare road victory.
"I thought we came out in the second half and we scrapped," Pacers coach Nate McMillan told pacers.com after that win. "We were just able to fight our way back into the game."
Indiana (23-22) snapped a three-game losing streak by defeating the Timberwolves 109-103 in Minnesota on Thursday night.
That means they'll be on the second night of a back-to-back against the Kings. They're just 1-7 this year in those instances, but they do come in with a 16-6 home record.
Paul George scored 32 points in the win over Minnesota. The Pacers are 12-3 this season when George scores 24 or more points in a game.
"I've got to bring it," George said. "I've got to be ready at all times. I always have to have the mindset to be aggressive."
It has been quite the up and down season for the Pacers to this point. They hadn't won or lost more than two straight games until late December. Since then, they lost four in a row, won seven of eight, then lost three straight before Thursday's win.
Like many Eastern Conference teams, the Pacers are looking for some consistency. Heading into the matchup with the Kings, the Pacers are 10-9 against the Western Conference this season, including 5-2 against the West at home.
Speaking of inconsistent, the Kings (18-27) would fall into that category as well. They lost eight of nine games, but have won two straight, including a stunning 116-112 overtime victory on Wednesday night in Cleveland. With Demarcus Cousins putting up monster numbers (28 points, 10.2 rebounds per game), the Kings are fully capable of playing well above the level their record indicates.
After falling apart in the closing minutes against the Pacers a week earlier, the Kings stay poised in their win over Cleveland.
"Just stay positive," Cousins told the Sacramento Bee. "Get the next stop and get the next one after that."
Fans will enjoy watching Cousins and Paul George in this game. Both players were named as All-Star reserves in their respective conferneces.
Rodney Stuckey is still out (left hamstring strain) for the Pacers but is getting closer to returning. Kevin Seraphin is questionable (sore left knee) after missing the game in Minnesota. For the Kings, Omri Casspi (right plantaris tendon strain) and Rudy Gay (torn achilles) are out.
The Kings have won their last two games at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. The last time the Pacers defeated the Kings on their home floor was in January 2014.
