https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/nba-logos/ind.png

Pacers

The Boston Celtics came back from the dead after trailing all game long to steal one on the road against the Indiana Pacers on Saturday night in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals on Day 35 of the 2024 NBA Playoffs.
The Celtics outscored the Pacers 33-21 in the 4th quarter including Jrue Holiday&rsquo;s clutch and one bucket with less than a minute to go.
Holiday came up clutch yet again on the next possession on the defensive end after stealing the ball from Andrew Nembhard to essentially seal the win.
The Pacers had a chance to tie the game with 3 seconds to go but Aaron Nesmith missed a three in the corner off a superb out-of-bounds play call by Indiana coach Rick Carlisle.
Indiana played without star PG Tyrese Haliburton who was out due to left hamstring soreness. He is expected to still be out in Game 4 as Boston goes for the sweep.
Check out our recap here:

After trailing all game long, the Celtics stole one on the road against the Pacers in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals on Saturday.

2024 NBA Playoffs Day 35 Recap: Boston survives, takes commanding lead

Blake Stern previews the NBA's Central Division, breaking down each team's projected lineup and burning question entering the year.

NBA Central Division Preview: Burning questions, rotation projections

When the new league year began on July 1, NBA teams were quick to sign free agents and start negotiating extensions with some of their younger players.&nbsp;
Players who were selected in the first round of the NBA Draft are signed to rookie-scale contracts, which are eligible to be extended on the first day (July 1) of the fourth and final year of their deal. This past offseason, the vast majority of players eligible for rookie-scale extensions were picked in the first round in 2020. Teams have until the day before the start of the 2023-24 regular season (which begins on October 24) to agree to an extension, or else those players will hit restricted free agency next summer.&nbsp;
Out of the 30 first-round picks in the 2020 NBA Draft, 27 were eligible for rookie-scale extensions. In addition, the Orlando Magic&rsquo;s Chuma Okeke also became eligible for a rookie-scale extension because he signed his rookie deal in 2020, a year after he was drafted due to injury. So far this offseason, five players have signed extensions, with four of them receiving maximum contracts.&nbsp;
Those who received the max signed what&rsquo;s called a Designated Rookie Extension, which has a starting salary at 25% of the 2024-25 salary cap (projected at $37,405,750) with 8% raises over five years (for a total contract value of $216,953,350). However, via the &ldquo;Derrick Rose rule,&rdquo; if any of the players who signed one of these extensions is a member of any of the 2023-24 All-NBA teams, their starting salary will be set at 30% of the 2024-25 salary cap (projected at $44,886,900) with 8% raises over five years (for a total contract value of $260,344,020). These players include Minnesota&rsquo;s Anthony Edwards, Charlotte&rsquo;s LaMelo Ball, Indiana&rsquo;s Tyrese Haliburton and Memphis&rsquo; Desmond Bane. However, Bane&rsquo;s extension doesn&rsquo;t contain the &ldquo;Rose Rule&rdquo; language, so he can&rsquo;t receive a starting salary raise even if he earns an All-NBA nod.
There is also a new wrinkle in the Collective Bargaining Agreement that changed the rules in regards to rookie-scale extensions, allowing teams to offer all players an extension up to five years. Previously, only players who were offered maximum contracts could agree to an extension up to five years. So far, no team has given out a five-year non-max extension.
The only player who has signed a non-max rookie extension this offseason is Detroit&rsquo;s Isaiah Stewart. Stewart, the No. 16 pick in 2020, has been a starter for the rebuilding Pistons over the past few years. The tough, defensive big man agreed to a four-year, $64 million extension with $60 million guaranteed, $4 million in potential performance bonuses and a team option in the final season. Stewart&rsquo;s extension could serve as a potential benchmark for other big man extension candidates like Toronto&rsquo;s Precious Achiuwa and Atlanta&rsquo;s Onyeka Okongwu.
With 21 first-round picks (and Okeke) still awaiting a potential extension, let&rsquo;s take a look at who is most likely to receive an extension and what their deals might look like.
LIKELY TO BE EXTENDED
Patrick Williams (Chicago Bulls): Williams has been a steady force for the Bulls amid the team&rsquo;s struggles to consistently play winning basketball. The former Florida State forward has improved his shooting each year of his career but has yet to really break out as a primary scoring option for Chicago. Williams is just 22 years old and still has a lot of potential, so he should command an extension similar to what Atlanta&rsquo;s De&rsquo;Andre Hunter received last summer.
Extension Prediction: Four years, $90,000,000, no options
Onyeka Okongwu (Atlanta Hawks): Okongwu has been slotted as the Hawks&rsquo; center of the future for a few years now and has mostly looked the part backing up Clint Capela. Atlanta has a very crowded cap sheet, especially after extending Dejounte Murray. It is possible they could look to move Capela soon in order to free up cap space and give the starting center job to Okongwu. As mentioned above, look for Okongwu to ask for slightly above what Detroit gave Isaiah Stewart.
Extension Prediction: Four years, $72,000,000, could earn up to $80,000,000 with incentives, no options
Devin Vassell (San Antonio Spurs): The Spurs should try to lock up some of their reliable young pieces as they begin the Victor Wembanyama era. Similar to what San Antonio did with Keldon Johnson, they&rsquo;ll likely look to give Vassell a long-term value deal. They also could take advantage of the new CBA rules, keeping the former No. 11 pick under contract through 2029.
Extension Prediction: Five years, $110,000,000, no options
Josh Green (Dallas Mavericks): Green has quietly been developing very nicely with the Mavericks and could fight for a spot in the starting lineup this fall. The Australian native has shown real potential as a 3-and-D wing and could command the full mid-level exception if he reaches the open market next summer. Dallas shouldn&rsquo;t (and most likely won&rsquo;t) let that happen.
Extension Prediction: Four years, $65,000,000, no options
Immanuel Quickley (New York Knicks): Quickley is coming off his best season as a pro that saw him finish as runner-up for the NBA&rsquo;s Sixth Man of the Year award. A scoring machine, the former Kentucky guard would likely start for a good chunk of NBA teams, but will likely have to be the backup as long as Jalen Brunson is in New York. The Knicks would certainly love to keep Quickley, but look for them to wait all the way up to the October 23 deadline to pay him in order to maintain trade flexibility.
Extension Prediction: Four years, $88,000,000, could earn up to $92,000,000 with incentives, no options
Jaden McDaniels (Minnesota Timberwolves): McDaniels is certainly viewed as a core piece by the Timberwolves&rsquo; brass as they fought hard to keep him out of the Rudy Gobert trade, sacrificing more draft capital instead. The Washington product has been a versatile, two-way player since arriving in Minnesota and is an ideal wing next to Anthony Edwards. He should be paid accordingly.
Extension Prediction: Four years, $100,000,000, no options, declining annual salary
LIKELY TO REACH RESTRICTED FREE AGENCY
James Wiseman (Detroit Pistons): Wiseman has been better on both sides of the ball since being traded to Detroit last February, but his game still needs to be developed further if the Pistons are to seriously invest in him.
Isaac Okoro (Cleveland Cavaliers): Cleveland has been looking for a permanent solution at their starting small-forward position for some time now, resulting in them paying Caris LeVert and signing Max Strus. Okoro hasn&rsquo;t shown he can be the Cavs&rsquo; long-term solution.
Obi Toppin (Indiana Pacers): If Toppin had stayed in New York, there&rsquo;s no way he would have been extended. Now in Indiana, the former Naismith National Player of the Year should get a chance to start and improve his stock going into next summer.
Deni Avdija (Washington Wizards): Avdija is a pretty good young player outside of his shooting struggles. With a new regime in Washington, Avdija may be a trade candidate if new president Michael Winger doesn&rsquo;t see him as a part of the team&rsquo;s long-term plan.
Aaron Nesmith (Indiana Pacers): A starter for the Pacers last year, Nesmith may be buried on the depth chart with the additions of Toppin and rookie Jarace Walker. He hasn&rsquo;t made enough of an impact to warrant an extension.
Cole Anthony (Orlando Magic): Anthony has been a solid bench contributor for Orlando since being drafted out of North Carolina. However, the Magic backcourt is extremely crowded with the addition of rookie Anthony Black, making them unlikely to prioritize securing a deal with Anthony.
Aleksej Pokusevski (Oklahoma City Thunder): Poku is coming off a fractured leg that kept him out for the back half of last season. He needs to show that he can be a long-term piece if he wishes to stay with the Thunder.
Saddiq Bey (Atlanta Hawks): Bey is certainly talented enough to warrant an extension, fitting into the starting five seamlessly after being acquired from Detroit at the trade deadline. However, the team may have to choose between extending Bey or Okongwu in order to manage their already-very-full salary cap sheet.&nbsp;
Precious Achiuwa (Toronto Raptors): The Raptors have already committed to a center in Jakob Poeltl this offseason. Achiuwa hasn&rsquo;t shown enough to break through outside of his bench role to warrant an extension.
Zeke Nnaji (Denver Nuggets): Despite not being a regular member of the rotation, Nnaji has shown he is a capable backup option to Nikola Jokic when he&rsquo;s on the floor. While an extension isn&rsquo;t in the cards, the Nuggets should look to retain him.
Payton Pritchard (Boston Celtics): Boston would probably love to keep Pritchard on a team-friendly deal, as he has been a reliable insurance option for them since coming into the league. The former Oregon guard will more than likely want to test the free-agency market to see if he can possibly find a path to more playing time elsewhere.
LIKELY TO NOT RECEIVE A QUALIFYING OFFER, BECOME AN UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENT NEXT SUMMER
Killian Hayes (Detroit Pistons): Hayes has not lived up to his top-10 pick billing and has fallen out of Pistons general manager Troy Weaver&rsquo;s long-term outlook. Detroit could extend him a qualifying offer next summer, but he likely won&rsquo;t receive much interest on the open market.
Kira Lewis Jr. (New Orleans Pelicans): Lewis has been relegated to a reserve while suffering through multiple injuries through his first three years in the NBA. The Pelicans have made it known league-wide that he is available for trade.
Chuma Okeke (Orlando Magic): Okeke has struggled with his all-around game for the better part of the last two years and is unlikely to be retained by Orlando going forward.
Malachi Flynn (Toronto Raptors): Flynn hasn&rsquo;t taken advantage of the many opportunities he&rsquo;s had to be a part of the Raptors&rsquo; rotation as the backup point guard. He may see some run this year, but the Raptors may have seen enough to move on this summer.
THE TYRESE MAXEY WILD CARD
Tyrese Maxey (Philadelphia 76ers): Maxey is the wild card of the rookie-extension candidates, as Sixers general manager Daryl Morey has said that the team will hold off on extending the 22-year-old shooting guard in order to maintain trade and cap flexibility going into next summer. Maxey has blossomed into a core member of the 76ers going forward and would likely receive close to, if not the full, max rookie extension. With no end in sight to the James Harden debacle, the Sixers may want to secure their young prize before their situation could turn worse.

Blake Stern takes a look at which players are most likely to receive a rookie-scale extension prior to the October 23 deadline.

Checking in on the NBA's rookie-scale extension candidates

With the NBA&rsquo;s 2023 free-agency period pretty much wrapped up, why not take a look at how projecting next year's free-agent market? Obviously, a lot can change between now and then, but let&rsquo;s examine each team&rsquo;s cap situation and how much cap room they project to have next summer.&nbsp;
Next year&rsquo;s free-agency class could feature some big names, including Kawhi Leonard, Pascal Siakam, Tyrese Maxey (restricted), Paul George, LeBron James, James Harden, Jrue Holiday, OG Anunoby and DeMar DeRozan.&nbsp;
For the purposes of this exercise, I&rsquo;m going to separate teams into four spending-power tiers: Cap Space Teams, Non-Tax MLE Teams, Luxury Tax Teams and Second Apron Teams. Also, let's assume that the salary cap will be set at $149,623,000 and the luxury tax will come in at $181,823,000, the maximum 10% jump from this upcoming season set under the new CBA.
CAP SPACE TEAMS
Teams in this tier are currently projected to have cap space next summer. They have spending access to their cap space, Bird Rights, the Room Exception (projected at $8,495,000) and the Veteran Minimum Exception.
San Antonio Spurs ($77,195,776 under the cap) If Victor Wembanyama is 70% as good as he&rsquo;s hyped up to be entering this season, one would figure that the Spurs will spend big or at least make a meaningful impact on the free-agent market next summer. They project to have an enormous amount of cap space, so it&rsquo;s very possible we&rsquo;ll see San Antonio take on some more bad contracts in trades to give them even more draft capital. Also, they&rsquo;ll want to retain Devin Vassell, who will be a restricted free agent next offseason once the Spurs extend his qualifying offer.
Philadelphia 76ers ($73,034,842 under the cap) The Sixers are perhaps the most interesting team in terms of their 2024 offseason outlook. By letting Tyrese Maxey hit restricted free agency next summer rather than extending him this year, Philadelphia gave themselves serious cap flexibility. Tobias Harris and James Harden both have expiring contracts, so the Sixers will have to use their cap space to replace their production. A Harden trade would obviously change their projected cap room, but it remains to be seen what they&rsquo;ll get back for the former MVP and how much it&rsquo;ll impact their books.
Toronto Raptors ($60,339,034 under the cap) After losing Fred VanVleet, the Raptors are walking a tightrope when it comes to whether they&rsquo;ll compete or rebuild. They face some tough decisions. Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby are both set to hit free agency next summer, so Toronto needs to decide whether they want to extend or trade their best players. Not to mention, Precious Achiuwa and Gary Trent Jr. also need new contracts.
Orlando Magic ($58,010,944 under the cap) Orlando has a lot of options for next summer, but the Magic may start with retaining many of their own players. Franz Wagner will likely receive a big contract extension, while Markelle Fultz and Cole Anthony will be up for new contracts. Given that Orlando has a logjam in their backcourt &ndash; with Fultz, Anthony, Jalen Suggs and Anthony Black &ndash; it&rsquo;ll be interesting to see what they do with Fultz and Anthony. The Magic will still have plenty of room to add quality talent for yearly average values over the NTMLE.
Detroit Pistons ($57,781,166 under the cap) Detroit may approach the 2024 offseason similar to how Houston approached this summer, as a young team hoping to use its massive cap space on good veterans in order to take bigger steps toward playoff contention. With that said, the first priority for the team will be agreeing to a contract extension with Cade Cunningham.
Utah Jazz ($50,315,319 under the cap) The Jazz find themselves in a unique position where they could go in two directions. After committing a three-year deal to Jordan Clarkson, they can use their cap space to give 2023 Most Improved Player Lauri Markkanen a contract extension. If they want to have significant cap space for next summer instead, they can hold off on giving Markkanen an extension until free agency is settled.
Washington Wizards ($47,123,801 under the cap) Despite their cap space next year, don&rsquo;t expect Washington to be a big player in 2024 free agency. In the beginning stages of a rebuild, the Wizards will probably keep their sights on collecting more draft capital. They do have an interesting decision coming up with recent trade acquisition Tyus Jones, whom they&rsquo;ll likely want to keep long-term.&nbsp;
Charlotte Hornets ($41,300,515 under the cap)&nbsp; They may lose some 2024 cap space if they eventually re-sign PJ Washington this offseason, but watch out for Charlotte to be one of the many small-market teams with money to spend next summer. With LaMelo Ball in the first year of his max contract extension, Charlotte may cash in on a marquee player to keep their young star happy.
Brooklyn Nets ($33,048,185 under the cap) The Nets do have the potential to have significant cap space next summer if they choose not to re-sign most of their own free agents. However, the Nets will more than likely focus on exploring the trade market and retaining big man Nic Claxton before reaching next year&rsquo;s free agency. Spencer Dinwiddie and Royce O&rsquo;Neale will also hit free agency next offseason.
Indiana Pacers ($20,488,005 under the cap) Indiana could get to an even higher number in cap space if they decline Bruce Brown&rsquo;s $23 million team option next season. If Brown has a good year, the Pacers would likely keep him on a long-term deal that would consume a good chunk of their space. Other impending free agents they might like to keep include Obi Toppin, Aaron Nesmith and Jalen Smith.
Oklahoma City Thunder ($10,264,814 under the cap) The Thunder will likely continue to utilize the strategy of taking on short-term, bad-money contracts in exchange for draft capital. As they inch closer to contention, they will be looking at some big-money extensions for many of their young pieces, including one for Josh Giddey next year.&nbsp;
NON-TAX MLE TEAMS
Teams in this tier are currently projected to be over the salary cap but under the luxury tax. They have spending access to Bird Rights, the Non-Taxpayer Mid-Level Exception (projected at $13,644,000), the Bi-Annual Exception (projected at $4,968,000) unless used in 2023-24, and the Veteran Minimum Exception.
Chicago Bulls ($19,465,689 under the cap) The Bulls could potentially operate as a cap-space team if they elect to let DeMar DeRozan and Patrick Williams walk in free agency, but that seems unlikely. In addition, the Bulls could potentially create more space if Lonzo Ball&rsquo;s knee injury is considered career-ending by an NBA/NBPA-appointed physician. (Ball would still be paid, it just wouldn&rsquo;t count against the cap).&nbsp;
Sacramento Kings ($210,669 under the cap) The Kings used up most of their cap space by signing Domantas Sabonis to a big four-year extension that ties him with the team through 2028. As long as they are competitive, they will likely pursue quality pieces with their Non-Tax MLE to support Sabonis and De&rsquo;Aaron Fox. They will also likely try to keep Malik Monk and look at extension options for Davion Mitchell.
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/pels.jpg" alt="" width="728" height="485" />
New Orleans Pelicans ($487,911 over the cap) The Pelicans are fairly set with their core of CJ McCollum, Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram under contract through 2025. Ingram and McCollum are both extension-eligible this offseason, but the Pelicans may wait on dishing out extensions to maintain flexibility under the tax. New Orleans must also monitor Jonas Valanciunas&rsquo; free agency and a possible extension for Trey Murphy III.&nbsp;
Atlanta Hawks ($1,658,172 over the cap) Similar to the Kings, the Hawks wiped away their cap space when they signed Dejounte Murray and De&rsquo;Andre Hunter to four-year, $120 million and four-year, $90 million extensions, respectively. Already pushing past the salary cap, the Hawks may face a money crunch as they broach the luxury tax line. Retaining restricted free agents Onyeka Okongwu and Saddiq Bey next offseason may be tricky.
Los Angeles Clippers ($5,018,261 over the cap) The Clippers are in an interesting spot with George and Leonard both needing new deals, which they will likely get despite their inability to stay on the floor. Many veterans with big salaries will come off the books next year, like Marcus Morris, Nic Batum and Robert Covington. The question is whether the Clippers will continue to commit significant capital to a roster that hasn&rsquo;t met its lofty expectations.
Miami Heat ($7,751,630 over the cap) The Miami Heat are in a holding pattern with their roster as they engage in a Mexican standoff with the Blazers on a Damian Lillard trade, which could see them skyrocket into the deep tax. Outside of the Dame situation, Jimmy Butler will likely look for another big extension this offseason, which will pay him max money deep into his late 30s. They will also have to contend with potentially losing Caleb Martin, who has a player option for 2024-25.
Houston Rockets ($8,734,919 over the cap) The biggest spenders of this past offseason, the Rockets made big moves for Fred VanVleet and Dillon Brooks. Houston could get back into the cap-space tier again if they choose to part ways with Kevin Porter Jr. and his non-guaranteed $15.9 million salary. Jalen Green and Alperen Sengun will also be up for extensions.&nbsp;
Cleveland Cavaliers ($11,399,749 over the cap) The Cavs are pretty set going into the 2023-24 season and beyond with two max guys (Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell) and key guys on fairly big deals (Jarrett Allen, Caris LeVert and Max Strus). They will likely give Evan Mobley a big extension next offseason, which could push them into the luxury tax in the near future. For next offseason, their only notable free agent is Isaac Okoro.
New York Knicks ($11,400,861 over the cap) This morning, the Knicks inked Josh Hart to a four-year contract extension that pushed them over the cap for 2024-25. Their main concerns for next summer are Immanuel Quickley and Isaiah Hartenstein, who are both up for new contracts. They will likely be able to avoid the tax by declining their team option on Evan Fournier or trading his expiring contract for another expiring deal.
Dallas Mavericks ($13,566,153 over the cap) The Mavericks are not likely to seek pathways to cap space next summer after doubling down on their trade for Kyrie Irving by re-signing him to a three-year, $120 million deal. They should look to retain Josh Green, who will be a restricted free agent. Luka Doncic&rsquo;s happiness looms over all of the Mavs&rsquo; moves, as ESPN&rsquo;s Tim McMahon <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/mavs-fear-luka-doncic-may-request-trade-unless-they-build-contender">reported in April</a> that the Mavericks are worried about Doncic potentially seeking a trade elsewhere as soon as next year.
Los Angeles Lakers ($15,380,636 over the cap) The Lakers had a pathway to almost two max slots in the unlikely scenario that they decided to pivot from the LeBron-AD era. However, that option is out the window with them inking Davis to a three-year supermax extension that will keep him with the team through 2028. LeBron James&rsquo; decision to stay with the team or leave will ultimately dictate how the Lakers approach spending next offseason.
Portland Trail Blazers ($20,567,876 over the cap) Portland is in the midst of turning the page to a new era as they look to accommodate franchise cornerstone Damian Lillard&rsquo;s trade request. If they do end up trading Lillard, expect their cap numbers to come down slightly, but not enough to get any meaningful space. Whether Lillard is traded for the Miami package or something else, Portland shouldn&rsquo;t be a major player in free agency for a while.&nbsp;
LUXURY TAX TEAMS
Teams in this tier are currently projected to be over the salary cap and luxury tax. They have spending access to Bird Rights, the Taxpayer Mid-Level Exception (projected at $5,500,000), and the Veteran Minimum Exception.
Minnesota Timberwolves ($14,474,085 under the tax) The Timberwolves have paid the luxury tax only once since 2007. They should be a tax team once again, with Karl-Anthony Towns' supermax extension and Anthony Edwards' max extension kicking in. In addition, Minnesota will need to use significant capital to keep players like Jaden McDaniels, Mike Conley and Kyle Anderson, all of whom will be free agents in 2024.
Golden State Warriors ($9,696,462 under the tax) While the Warriors are currently under the tax, they are likely going to re-sign 2024 free agent Klay Thompson to a long-term deal at a lower number or at least use his Bird Rights to acquire another piece at a similar number. Golden State can cut some costs by releasing Chris Paul after the season, as his $30 million salary for 2024-25 is non-guaranteed.
Milwaukee Bucks ($6,142,529 under the tax) The Bucks re-signed Khris Middleton and Brook Lopez to big-money deals, committing to the players who won them the 2021 title. Another one of those players, Jrue Holiday, is set to reach free agency and will likely demand max money. In addition, Giannis Antetokounmpo becomes eligible for a supermax extension of up to three years in October and can sign a four-year supermax extension next offseason.
Denver Nuggets ($6,732,627 over the tax) The defending champs have their core of Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, Michael Porter Jr. and Aaron Gordon locked in through the 2025 offseason. They&rsquo;ve already lost Bruce Brown and Jeff Green this summer and will be forced to work around the edges with Kentavious Caldwell-Pope potentially heading for free agency next summer.
Boston Celtics ($7,306,800 over the tax) The trade for Kristaps Porzingis pushed the Celtics into the luxury tax for the first time since 2018, and that was before they signed Jaylen Brown to a five-year supermax extension. With Jayson Tatum&rsquo;s own supermax extension on the horizon next year, the Celtics figure to be a tax team, and potentially a second apron team, for the foreseeable future.
SECOND APRON TEAMS
Teams in this tier are currently projected to be over the salary cap, luxury tax and second luxury tax apron ($17.5 million over the tax). They have spending access to just Bird Rights and the Veteran Minimum Exception. The second apron was introduced in the new CBA and prevents teams from using the Taxpayer MLE, trading first-round picks seven years away, signing buyout free agents and taking back more salary than they send out in trades among other restrictions.
Memphis Grizzlies ($13,829,477 over the tax) For the first time under owner Robert Pera, the Grizzlies will be paying the luxury tax. While Memphis probably won&rsquo;t reach the second apron, they are not likely to have enough spare capital to use their Tax MLE and be able to fill out their roster without going over it. Their core of Ja Morant, Desmond Bane and Jaren Jackson Jr. are locked up to big money, long-term deals that will keep Memphis among the league's biggest spenders for likely the next decade-plus.
Phoenix Suns ($27,039,607 over the tax) Phoenix is by far the most limited team when it comes to spending, and they will be for the next few seasons after trading for Bradley Beal&rsquo;s behemoth contract. With four max contracts, including two supermax contracts, the Suns have blown through the second apron. Like this past offseason, the supporting cast around their core four will be mostly minimum-salary contracts.

How much cap room is your favorite NBA team projected to have next summer? Blake Stern breaks down where all 30 teams stand.

Which NBA teams project to have the most cap space in 2024?

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) &mdash; Jrue Holiday scored a career-high 51 points, Giannis Antetokounmpo had 38 points in a triple-double and the NBA-leading Milwaukee Bucks beat the Indiana Pacers 149-136 on Wednesday night.
Antetokounmpo added 17 rebounds and 12 assists to help the Bucks improve to 55-21. The two-time NBA MVP was an assist shy of a triple-double at halftime with 20 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists. He returned after sitting out Monday night in a victory at Detroit because of a sore knee.
Holiday had 18 points in the third quarter, when the Bucks scored a season-high 46 points to build a 12-point lead. He was 20 of 30 from the field with three 3-pointers and hit 8 of 10 free throws. His previous best was 40 points in an overtime victory over visiting Boston on Feb. 14.
Brook Lopez added 21 points for the Bucks.
Rookie Bennedict Mathurin led Indiana &mdash; playing without its top three scorers &mdash; with 29 points. Aaron Nesmith had 22 and Jordan Nwora 18. Jalen Smith fouled out early in the fourth with 17. Rookie Andrew Nembhard had 15 points and 15 rebounds.

Jrue Holiday scored a career-high 51 points, Giannis Antetokounmpo had a 38-point triple-double and the Bucks beat the Pacers 149-136.

Jrue Holiday scores career-high 51 points, Bucks beat Pacers

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) &mdash; Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey each scored 31 points and Tobias Harris added 24 as the Philadelphia 76ers routed the Indiana Pacers 141-121 on Saturday night to match their season high with an eighth consecutive victory.
In a matchup of teams missing All-Stars &mdash; Philadelphia&rsquo;s James Harden and Indiana&rsquo;s Tyrese Haliburton &mdash; the 76ers shot 61% from the field, led by as many as 24 points and never looked back after overcoming an early eight-point deficit.
Embiid, who set a franchise record with his ninth straight outing of at least 30 points, chipped in seven assists and seven rebounds. Philadelphia legends Allen Iverson and Wilt Chamberlain each had eight-game runs of 30 points or more.
&ldquo;Embiid is right now probably the (NBA) MVP with what their team is doing and how he&rsquo;s just elevated his game,&rdquo; Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s as a difficult a guy to plan for as there is in the game. He had 31 points and made it look like he wasn&rsquo;t even trying to do it. He&rsquo;s a walking cheat code.&rdquo;
De&rsquo;Anthony Melton started in Harden&rsquo;s place and finished with 14 points, five assists, five rebounds and six steals, while Maxey had seven assists.
&ldquo;I was really happy,&rdquo; Sixers coach Doc Rivers said. &ldquo;Everybody contributed. Joel at times was our point guard. He probably had 15 hockey assists, and that was just terrific. Low turnovers. Against a high-scoring team on the road, you had to do that.&rdquo;
Aaron Nesmith led the Pacers with 25 points and six rebounds, Andrew Nembhard scored 20 points, and Myles Turner finished with 20 points. Indiana shot 51% from the field, but never led after the first quarter and dropped to 6-4 in its last 10 games.
Philadelphia, in third place in the Eastern Conference, led 34-24 entering the second period, 72-61 at halftime and 106-95 entering the fourth before breaking it open with a 9-0 run to start the final frame. Harden missed the game due to &ldquo;injury recovery,&rdquo; according to the team.
&ldquo;The thing about Harden being out is now the ball is going to be in Joel&rsquo;s hands a lot more and Maxey&rsquo;s hands a lot more, and we didn&rsquo;t do enough things to make it hard on them,&rdquo; Carlisle said. &ldquo;Bad game for us. We just didn&rsquo;t play well. Disappointing.&rdquo;
TIP-INS
76ers: Starting power forward P.J. Tucker was sidelined by a sore left ankle. &hellip; Georges Niang, drafted by the Pacers in 2016, was one of two double-figure bench scorers for Philadelphia. He and Paul Reed had 10 each. &hellip; The 76ers, who improved to 22-12 on the road, were outrebounded 47-35.
Pacers: Bennedict Mathurin, averaging 16.6 points, second-most among rookies, sat out with a sprained right ankle. &hellip; Shane Steichen, hired last month as the Indianapolis Colts&rsquo; new head coach, attended the Pacers&rsquo; pregame shootaround along with wide receivers coach Reggie Wayne. &hellip; Carlisle said &ldquo;a little longer&rdquo; timetable remains for the return of Haliburton, who missed his fourth straight contest.
UP NEXT
76ers: Host the Chicago Bulls on Monday night.
Pacers: Begin a four-game trip Monday night at the Charlotte Hornets.

Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey each scored 31 points as the 76ers routed the Pacers 141-121 on Saturday night.

Joel Embiid, Maxey net 31, 76ers top Pacers for 8th straight win

MILWAUKEE (AP) &mdash; Andrew Nembhard scored 24 points and Aaron Nesmith hit six 3-pointers and finished with 22 points as the Indiana Pacers rallied late to beat the Central Division- and Eastern Conference-leading Milwaukee Bucks 139-123.
With Nesmith leading the way, Indiana (32-38) shot 20-of-41 from 3-point distance, including 11-of-14 in the second half, and shot 56.5% overall.
Meanwhile, Milwaukee (50-20) shot 52.8%, but went 11-of-32 from beyond the arc, while giving up 13 points off 12 turnovers.
Giannis Antetokounmpo led the Bucks with 25 points. Jrue Holiday added 19 points and Khris Middleton finished with 16 points for Milwaukee.
The Pacers, who were playing without injured leading scorer and All-Star point guard Tyrese Haliburton (ankle), had seven players score in double-figures. Buddy Hield scored 20 points and T.J. McConnell had 19.

Andrew Nembhard scored 24 points as the Indiana Pacers rallied late to beat the East-leading Milwaukee Bucks 139-123 on Thursday.

Nembhard scores 24 as short-handed Pacers upset Bucks 139-123

CHICAGO (AP) &mdash; Tyrese Haliburton scored 29 points, including a 3-pointer with 2.7 seconds left, to give the Indiana Pacers a 125-122 victory Sunday over the Chicago Bulls.
Haliburton&rsquo;s game-winning shot occurred after Zach LaVine missed a free throw that would have given the Bulls the lead with 22.6 seconds remaining. LaVine, who scored 42 points, was fouled on a 3-point attempt by Bennedict Mathurin and converted the first two free throw tries.
&ldquo;Against Boston (a Feb. 23 loss) I had a shot with four seconds and I didn&rsquo;t take it until the buzzer and took a bad shot, so I shot the first one I saw,&rdquo; Haliburton said. &rsquo;It felt good.&rdquo;
After Haliburton&rsquo;s 3-pointer, a game-tying shot attempt by Nikola Vucevic bounced off the rim.
&ldquo;The first couple options weren&rsquo;t open,&rdquo; the Bulls&rsquo; DeMar DeRozan said. &ldquo;At that point, just scrambling to try to get the ball in and get a shot off.&rdquo;
Mathurin added 17 points for the Pacers (29-36), while DeRozan scored 23 for the Bulls (29-36), who lost despite shooting 60.8% (45 for 74) from the field.
&ldquo;We got guys who can put the ball in the basket,&rdquo; said Bulls guard Patrick Beverley, who guarded Haliburton on the final shot. &ldquo;We just have to rebound it. That&rsquo;s what it was. We lost it on offensive rebounding.&rdquo;
The Pacers embarked on a 17-2 run and took their first lead at 47-44 on Chris Duarte&rsquo;s 3-pointer with seven minutes left in the second quarter. Duarte and fellow reserve T.J. McConnell each provided a spark while Haliburton rested his sore right calf during the Pacers&rsquo; spurt.
Duarte sank three 3-pointers, and McConnell distributed five assists during the Pacers&rsquo; run.
&ldquo;I thought our second unit was the key to the game,&rdquo; Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. &ldquo;Ty hit a hellacious shot at the end. He&rsquo;s having a heck of a year.&rdquo;
INJURY REPORT
Pacers: F Aaron Nesmith (sore left hip) out.
Bulls: F Javonte Green (right knee surgery) hasn&rsquo;t progressed past straight-ahead running and feels discomfort when attempting to move laterally, coach Billy Donovan said. Green hasn&rsquo;t played since Dec. 31.
UP NEXT
Pacers: Monday vs. Philadelphia
Bulls: Wednesday at Denver

Tyrese Haliburton scored 29 points, including a three with 2.7 seconds left, giving the Pacers a 125-122 win over the Bulls.

Tyrese Haliburton’s game-winning 3 pushes Pacers past Bulls 125-122

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) &mdash; Buddy Hield made six 3-pointers in the second half and finished with 27 points, helping the Indiana Pacers rally from a 24-point deficit after the first quarter and defeat the Chicago Bulls 117-113 on Wednesday night.
Hield broke Reggie Miller&rsquo;s single-season franchise record for 3-pointers on his final 3 &mdash; his 230th &mdash; with 22 games remaining.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s the new NBA. You shoot 3s and I shoot 3s at a high level,&rdquo; said Hield, the NBA leader. &ldquo;Passing a legend like Reggie in Indiana is a testament to hard work and my teammates finding me in the right spots.&rdquo;
Tyrese Haliburton banked in a 9-foot shot for a 113-112 lead in the final minute, Myles Turner sank two free throws and Hield closed it out with a pair of foul shots with 7.1 seconds remaining as the Pacers snapped a five-game skid.
&ldquo;The pattern in a lot of NBA games is you get hit in the face and then you fight back,&rdquo; Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. &ldquo;Fighting back is a tough way to consistently win in this league.&rdquo;
The Pacers, down 39-15 after the first quarter, have trailed by double digits in the opening quarter of 24 games.
&ldquo;We don&rsquo;t want to be coming back all the time,&rdquo; Hield said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s annoying.&rdquo;
Aaron Nesmith scored 21 points for Indiana, which had lost 16 of 18. Turner added 17, Haliburton 16 and Bennedict Mathurin 14.
&ldquo;We were dangerously close in the first quarter to being booed by the greatest fans in the NBA,&rdquo; Carlisle said. &ldquo;We responded.&rdquo;
The Bulls&rsquo; Zach LaVine scored 35 points, including 12 in the opening quarter.
&ldquo;This has happened a lot to us,&rdquo; Bulls coach Billy Donovan said. &ldquo;We compete pretty hard, but what happens is the game gets ratcheted up &mdash; physically, mentally, emotionally. You&rsquo;ve got to be able to come down on both ends of the floor and be incredibly detailed and focused. You have to execute.&rdquo;
James White had 25 and Nikola Vucevic added 19 &mdash; but with just seven rebounds as his league-best streak of double-doubles ended at nine games as the Bulls dropped their fifth straight.
&ldquo;The game is not won in the first five minutes,&rdquo; Donovan said. &ldquo;You&rsquo;ve got to play your way through.&rdquo;
TIP-INS
Bulls: Had beaten the Pacers in four of five meetings. ... Had averaged just 93.5 points in the previous four losses.
Pacers: Eighth-year pro T.J. McConnell made his sixth start while replacing rookie Andrew Nembhard in the backcourt. McConnell had seven assists, but just two points on free throws.

Buddy Hield finished with 27 points, helping the Indiana Pacers rally from a 24-point deficit and defeat the Chicago Bulls 117-113.

Hield helps Pacers rally from 24 down to beat Bulls 117-113

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) &mdash; Buddy Hield scored 21 points against his former team and the Indiana Pacers beat the Sacramento Kings 107-104 on Friday night to stop a four-game losing streak.
Hield shot 5 of 9 from 3-point range and grabbed 10 rebounds. Aaron Nesmith added 17 points for the Pacers, going 4 for 7 on 3s. Myles Turner had 14 points and 13 boards.
&ldquo;Especially against your old team, it&rsquo;s always good to get the win,&rdquo; Hield said.
Hield and Tyrese Haliburton were traded to the Pacers a year ago in a six-player deal that sent Domantas Sabonis to the Kings.
Turner said the Pacers had extra motivation to get the victory for Hield and Haliburton.
&ldquo;(Hield) made some big shots down the stretch,&rdquo; Turner said.
Harrison Barnes led the Kings with 23 points. Kevin Huerter scored 16, while Sabonis and Terence Davis each had 15.
Sacramento was without leading scorer De&rsquo;Aaron Fox, who sat out for personal reasons.
Davis sank a 3-pointer with two minutes left to slice the Pacers&rsquo; lead to 107-104, but neither team scored the rest of the way.
Barnes missed a 3 with 9.1 seconds left, and Nesmith came up with the rebound.
&ldquo;We didn&rsquo;t react trying to foul,&rdquo; Kings coach Mike Brown said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s on us as a staff to remind them to foul, if we&rsquo;re down three and the clock is below 24 seconds and we&rsquo;re down three points or two or one. That&rsquo;s just a teaching point.&rdquo;
Brown thought his team had several problems in the final quarter.
&ldquo;You&rsquo;ve got to be able to box out,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;You can&rsquo;t give up second shots. We didn&rsquo;t do any of that down the stretch. Throughout the course of the game, our turnovers were terrible. It really hurt in a one-possession game to have 20 of them on the road. Our inability to communicate on defense against a team &mdash; and give up too many good looks &mdash; that can shoot like the Pacers, was not good.&rdquo;
The Pacers, who led by 12 at halftime, took a 19-point lead in the third quarter before the Kings ended the period with a 20-8 run to narrow the deficit to 87-80 after three.
Indiana went 10 of 21 on 3s to take a 60-48 halftime lead. In contrast, the Kings were 6 for 23 from long range in the opening half.
The Pacers scored 14 straight points to build a 51-39 advantage. Nesmith hit a trio of 3-pointers during the stretch.
Haliburton, playing his second game after missing 10 with an elbow sprain and knee bruise, acknowledged he was tired after the game and struggled to make shots. He had 10 points on 4-of-12 shooting and nine assists.
&ldquo;We knew the way they play, you&rsquo;re going to have to make it a gritty game, an ugly game,&rdquo; Haliburton said. &ldquo;You need to be able to play defense and get stops, and we were able to do that tonight.&rdquo;
TIP-INS
Kings: The Pacers showed a pregame tribute to Sabonis on the scoreboard during his first game back in Indiana since the trade. Sabonis was inactive due to a knee injury when Sacramento played at Indiana last March. &hellip; Trey Lyles, the 2014 Indiana Mr. Basketball from Indianapolis Tech High School, scored seven points off the bench.
Pacers: Daniel Theis, in his second game of the season, scored eight points off the bench. Theis, traded to the Pacers from Boston, returned Thursday after having knee surgery in November. &hellip; With the return of Theis, two other Pacers post players, Jalen Smith and Isaiah Jackson, didn&rsquo;t play.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Buddy Hield with the backdoor cut and hammers it home.🔨 <a href="https://t.co/okj9qlWmWa">pic.twitter.com/okj9qlWmWa</a>
&mdash; Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) <a href="https://twitter.com/Pacers/status/1621694353482596352?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 4, 2023</a></blockquote>

<script src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>

<div class="Component-dfp-0-2-62 apnews_article_midarticle_3" data-card-id="sovrn-article-midarticle">
BIG DUNK
Hield isn&rsquo;t known for his dunking ability, but he had a big one to put the Pacers up 104-99.
&ldquo;That&rsquo;s number one,&rdquo; Hield said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m never the one cutting to the middle or baseline. I saw an opening and that&rsquo;s all she wrote. I trusted my legs. It was fun. My teammates were excited. They&rsquo;re always joking about me not dunking the ball. It was fun to see them laughing.&rdquo;
UP NEXT
Kings: At New Orleans on Sunday.
Pacers: Host Cleveland on Sunday.
</div>

Buddy Hield scored 21 points against his former team and the Indiana Pacers beat the Sacramento Kings 107-104 on Friday night.

Buddy Hield leads Pacers to 107-104 win over Kings

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) &mdash; Ja Morant had 27 points, 15 assists and 10 rebounds, Jaren Jackson Jr. added 28 points and the Memphis Grizzlies overcame a lackluster first half to defeat the Indiana Pacers 112-100 on Sunday.
Brandon Clarke had 13 points, hitting all five of his shots as Memphis snapped a five-game losing streak and ran its home record to 21-3. It was Morant&rsquo;s fifth triple-double of the season and second in a row.
Benedict Mathurin, the sixth pick in the 2022 draft, led the Pacers with 27 points and eight rebounds. Aaron Nesmith had 16 points and Myles Turner added 15 points.
The Pacers dominated the first half, leading by as many as 19. First-half shooting, which hovered at 60% at the midway point of the second quarter, helped Indiana to a 62-50 lead at the break.
But 14 straight points brought Memphis back into the game early in the third quarter, and the Grizzlies outscored Indiana 30-17 in the third to retake the lead.
Memphis&rsquo; 13-2 run to open the fourth opened the game up.
Both teams entered the game reeling from losing skids. Memphis was returning home after a winless five-game trip West, while the Pacers had lost nine of their last 10.
TIP-INS
Pacers: Guard Tyrese Haliburton continued to sit out with left knee and elbow sprains, but there were indications Indiana&rsquo;s top scorer could return to action soon. Coach Rick Carlisle expects Haliburton to practice this week &ldquo;and looking toward the real possibility that he could play this weekend.&rdquo;
Grizzlies: Have won eight straight at home; their last home loss was Dec. 27 to Phoenix. ... Guard Desmond Bane sat out with right knee soreness. Coach Taylor Jenkins classified Bane as day-to-day and expects him to return this week.
TURNER EXTENSION
<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/myles-turner-pacers-agree-on-twoyear-60m-extension" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Turner will stay with Indiana</a>&nbsp;after agreeing to a two-year contract extension. Carlisle said the team has a Monday news conference planned.
MOMENT OF SILENCE
Sunday was the Grizzlies&rsquo; first home game since the video was released of Memphis police officers beating Tyre Nichols to death after a traffic stop. The Grizzlies held a pregame moment of silence for Nichols, 29, who died three days after the confrontation with police.&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-memphis-crime-law-enforcement-1b7e8fa4ed7120a897086250d5d6da35" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Five officers were fired and indicted on an array of charges</a>, including second-degree murder.
&ldquo;Obviously, our city is going through a really tough time right now, I&rsquo;m kind of focused on that more than basketball,&rdquo; Jenkins said, adding that the video was &ldquo;very disturbing.&rdquo;
UP NEXT
Pacers: Host the Lakers on Tuesday.
Grizzlies: Host Portland on Wednesday.

Ja Morant had 27 points, 15 assists and 10 rebounds, and the Memphis Grizzlies defeated the Indiana Pacers 112-100 on Sunday.

Ja Morant's triple-double rallies Grizzlies over Pacers

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) &mdash; John Collins tipped in a missed shot with less than a second left to give the Atlanta Hawks a 113-111 victory over the Indiana Pacers on Friday night.
Trae Young scored 26 points and De&rsquo;Andre Hunter had 25 for the Hawks. Young was 6 of 10 from 3-point range and Hunter 6 of 9. The Hawks made 16 of 31 3-pointers overall. Onyeka Okongwu added 18 points and a career-high 20 rebounds.
Bennedict Mathurin scored 26 points and Buddy Hield had 18 points for Indiana. The short-handed Pacers who were without three starters.
After Dejounte Murray, who scored 18 points, stole the ball and scored to give the Hawks a 108-107 lead. Mathurin scored to put Pacers ahead 109-108 with 58 seconds left. He was fouled on the basket but missed the free throw.
Young made a 3-pointer to give the Hawks a 111-109 lead with 32 seconds remaining. Hield ht two free throws to tie it at 111 with 21.5 seconds to go.
Indiana was without point guard Tyrese Haliburton. He suffered a bone bruise on his left knee and elbow strain during the third quarter Wednesday in a loss to the New York Knicks. He is expected to be out at least two weeks. The Pacers were without starters Myles Turner (back spasms) and Aaron Nesmith (illness) for the second consecutive game.
The Hawks shot 43.6% while the Pacers shot 39.6%.
The Hawks led by as many as 11 in the first half before taking a 58-55 halftime lead when Buddy Hield sank a 3-pointer with just under 4 seconds left.
Trailing 62-55 in the third quarter, the Hawks reeled off 14 straight points to take a 69-62 lead. The Pacers regrouped to take an 89-84 lead after three quarters. Hield hit another 3-pointer just before the third quarter buzzer.
TIP-INS
Hawks: Clint Capela missed his ninth consecutive game with right calf strain.
Pacers: Indiana coach Rick Carlisle said Myles Turner&rsquo;s back injury isn&rsquo;t likely to be a long-term issue, but he doesn&rsquo;t expect Turner will play against Memphis on Saturday. &hellip;Oshae Brissett, who missed Wednesday&rsquo;s game with a hamstring injury, was able to play against the Hawks. He scored 17 points.

John Collins tipped in a missed shot with less than a second left to give the Atlanta Hawks a 113-111 victory over the Indiana Pacers.

Colllns beats buzzer with tip-in, Hawks edge Pacers 113-111

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) &mdash; Myles Turner scored 29 points, Buddy Hield had 21 and the Indiana Pacers capped the first half of their regular-season schedule with a 116-111 comeback victory over the Charlotte Hornets on Sunday.
Tyrese Haliburton finished with 16 points, 13 assists and five rebounds for the Pacers, who trailed by nine early in the fourth quarter and needed a series of clutch plays in the final minutes to improve their record to 23-18 at the midpoint.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m just excited for us, excited that we&rsquo;re overachieving,&rdquo; Turner said. &ldquo;We still have a lot of work to do. We can&rsquo;t be satisfied.&rdquo;
P.J. Washington had 22 points and five rebounds for the Hornets. Terry Rozier chipped in 19 points, six assists and six boards, and Mason Plumlee wound up with 18 points and 13 rebounds.
Plumlee attempted a dunk with 13 seconds left that would have brought Charlotte within a point, but Turner&rsquo;s blocked shot sent the crowd into a frenzy. The 26-year-old rising star finished with nine rebounds and four blocks. His three-point play with 1:11 left had tied the game.
&ldquo;Myles is in his prime,&rdquo; Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s playing the best he&rsquo;s ever played. Down the stretch, he was tremendous. I coached Jermaine O&rsquo;Neal here, and Jermaine had that. It was uplifting to his teammates.&rdquo;
Two free throws from Aaron Nesmith made it 116-111 with 6.9 seconds left and secured Indiana&rsquo;s eighth win in its last 10 games.
&ldquo;Forty-one games: doesn&rsquo;t feel like 41 games, but it is,&rdquo; Carlisle said. &ldquo;The next 41 will go by pretty fast, too. We&rsquo;re getting a lot of clutch experience. We&rsquo;re not perfect, but we&rsquo;re gradually getting better, and we&rsquo;ve got a great crowd that has helped us get over the hump in a lot of these games.&rdquo;
Charlotte, which dropped to 11-30 at the halfway mark, has lost four of its last five. Top scorer LaMelo Ball fouled out in the final minute with 13 points and eight assists.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s hard for us when (Ball) only plays 24 minutes,&rdquo; Hornets coach Steve Clifford said. &ldquo;That is just part of his growth. We had a couple really bad fouls. We put ourselves in a good place for three quarters. Our defense in the fourth wasn&rsquo;t good enough.&rdquo;
TIP-INS
Hornets: Starting forward Gordon Hayward, a former All-Star, sat out a third straight game because of a sore hamstring. The injury cost the 12-year veteran a homecoming affair; he played collegiately at Butler and is a native of nearby Brownsburg. &hellip; Kelly Oubre Jr., the team&rsquo;s third-leading scorer at 20.2 points per game, missed his fifth in a row due to a torn hand ligament that required surgery on Thursday.
Pacers: Indiana committed 16 turnovers but forced 18 by the Hornets. &hellip; The Pacers trailed 27-15 at the end of the first quarter but recovered for a 47-45 halftime advantage. It was 79-73 Indiana entering the final period. &hellip; Andrew Nembhard finished with 19 points and four steals, while Nesmith added 15 points, six rebounds and four steals.
&nbsp;

Myles Turner scored 29 points, and the Indiana Pacers scored a 116-111 comeback victory over the Charlotte Hornets.

Turner, Haliburton key Pacers’ 116-111 victory over Hornets

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) &mdash; Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton cranked up the offense during Friday night's final stretch. Everyone else embraced doing the dirty work on defense.
Together, it was an unbeatable combination.
With Haliburton scoring seven of his 15 points in the final six minutes, Myles Turner protecting the rim and Aaron Nesmith stealing extra possessions, the Pacers used shutdown D to rally past the Portland Trail Blazers 108-99.
&ldquo;We were flying around,&rdquo; coach Rick Carlisle said. &ldquo;You have to double-team (Damian) Lillard and we trapped him in the backcourt a couple times. But the one constant is Myles around the basket. There are very few guys who have that presence around the rim and allow you to play with a smaller lineup. Myles was always there.&rdquo;
Even if the numbers weren't eye-popping.
On a night when Bennedict Mathurin scored 19 points and Haliburton had 12 assists, Turner finished with 17 points and eight rebounds as Indiana scored the final nine points and finished the game on a 15-2 run.
The surprising Pacers have won five straight home games and seven of their last nine overall.
Portland was led by Anfernee Simons with 20 points. Lillard had 19 points and eight assists, and Jusuf Nurkic added 14 points and 19 rebounds &mdash; not enough for the Trail Blazers to avoid their third loss in four games.
&ldquo;We just haven't been good enough down the stretch in this stretch of games,&rdquo; Lillard said. &ldquo;We haven't made shots, we've had turnovers, and teams have been able to outplay us in those closing runs. That's when we have to be our sharpest.&rdquo;
Instead, it was the Pacers who took advantage after Portland overcame an eight-point deficit in the third quarter to take an 82-81 lead into the fourth. The Trail Blazers started that period fast, too, jumping ahead 88-83.
And when the Pacers tied the score at 93 on Mathurin's layup with 7:54 to go, Portland answered with four straight points.
That's when Indiana turned up the pressure, allowing just two free throws and no baskets over the final six minutes. Haliburton broke a 97-all tie with a short runner and, after Lillard's free throws tied it, Nesmith's basket with 2:06 to go gave Indiana the lead for good.
TIP-INS
Trail Blazers: Josh Hart fell just short of his first career triple-double. He had 12 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists. ... Portland had a 52-42 rebounding advantage, which was offset by 18 turnovers. ... The Trail Blazers went 9 of 33 on 3-pointers after entering the game tied for the NBA's third-best 3-point shooting percentage.
Pacers: Isaiah Jackson finished with 12 points. ... Buddy Hield scored 11 and made two 3s, his 17th consecutive game with multiple 3s. ... Backup forward Jalen Smith did not play. ... Indiana has won a league-high nine times this season after trailing by double digits.
&ldquo;Basically, we needed our best perimeter defenders in the game and that's (Andrew) Nembhard and Nesmith,&rdquo; Carlisle said. &ldquo;Fortunately, Nesmith got his hands on some balls for us.&rdquo;
HOME COURT
Indiana is 14-7 at home, a dramatic improvement over the past two seasons. And with one of this season's bigger crowds watching Friday night, Carlisle thought it made a difference.
&ldquo;When you're a team like us, playing in Portland three or four weeks ago, or them playing here and the crowd really gets into it, it's hard,&rdquo; Carlisle said. &ldquo;It's really, really hard.&rdquo;
SECOND LOOK
Portland coach Chauncey Billups essentially said he would re-evaluate his late-game strategies after losing for sixth time in eight games &mdash; this time by the largest margin during that span. But Lillard said it's not Billups who needs to make changes.
&ldquo;I think as a player, you take responsibility for what happens,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;A lot of it is not new. We know what it takes to win games, it's just not easy.&rdquo;
&nbsp;

Tyrese Haliburton scored 15 points, and the Indiana Pacers used shutdown D to rally past the Portland Trail Blazers 108-99.

Turner, Haliburton leads Pacers past Trail Blazers 108-99

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) &mdash; Myles Turner scored 34 points, Tyrese Haliburton had 24 points and 10 assists, including 14 points in the final four minutes, and the Indiana Pacers held on for a 131-130 win over Paul George and the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday.
George scored 45 points, the most by a Clippers player this season, in his return to Indianapolis and Kawhi Leonard had 24 points, seven assists and five rebounds. Leonard missed a 3-pointer from the right wing that would have tied the game at 130. Haliburton then made a free throw with 5.3 seconds left to push Indiana&rsquo;s lead to 131-127 before George hit a 3 as time expired.
&ldquo;We had to put together a monster game to beat them, and we did,&rdquo; Indiana coach Rick Carlisle said. &ldquo;Myles Turner was spectacular. Tyrese&rsquo;s fourth quarter was monster. Made just about every play you could imagine. Really just breathtaking stuff to watch.&rdquo;
Buddy Hield finished with 18 points for Indiana, while Aaron Nesmith had 16 and Bennedict Mathurin 15 off the bench. The Pacers shot 52% from the field. The Clippers finished at 54% but committed 16 turnovers.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;re still aren&rsquo;t doing a great job of forcing teams baseline and forcing them out of the middle,&rdquo; George said. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re giving up too many middle drives.&rdquo;
Haliburton, who also had seven rebounds and four steals, starred in a tense, back-and-forth fourth quarter. Los Angeles led by six with 5:27 to go, but, beginning with two free throws at the 3:47 mark, Haliburton reeled off a 13-point flurry punctuated by two free throws for a 128-125 lead with 29 seconds remaining.
&ldquo;There&rsquo;s a lot of trust in me in this organization,&rdquo; Haliburton said. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re learning how to finish games. We&rsquo;ve got a lot of firepower. This is what we do. They picked us last in the East. We&rsquo;re coming out here and proving people wrong.&rdquo;
George made two foul shots to get Los Angeles back within one with 20 seconds left, but the Clippers let nearly eight seconds run off the clock before fouling Turner on Indiana&rsquo;s ensuing possession. Turner hit two free throws to restore a three-point advantage for the Pacers, who have won five of their last six.
Turner&rsquo;s hook shot early in the third quarter sent the Pacers ahead by 14, the largest advantage by either side. The Clippers responded by scoring on 11 of their next 13 possessions, a stretch capped by George&rsquo;s 3 to tie it at 86 with 3:54 remaining in the quarter. The score remained tied, at 93, entering the fourth.
TIP-INS
Clippers: The 32-year-old George, who played for Indiana the first seven seasons of his career, was booed lustily in pregame introductions. The Pacers traded George to Oklahoma City in 2017 after he informed them that he planned to leave once he was eligible for free agency in 2018. &hellip; Marcus Morris Sr. scored 15 points and Reggie Jackson 13.
Pacers: On the strength of five 3-pointers, Indiana led 32-22 at the end of the first quarter to continue a trend of better starts. It marked the sixth time in the Pacers&rsquo; last nine games that they led entering the second quarter. &hellip; After being outrebounded 62-39 in their 114-100 loss to the Clippers on Nov. 27, the Pacers won the battle of the boards 44-40.
&nbsp;

Myles Turner scored 34 points, Tyrese Haliburton had 24 points and the Pacers held on for a 131-130 win over the Clippers.

Turner, Haliburton help Pacers beat Paul, Clippers 131-130

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) &mdash; Tyrese Haliburton scored 29 points, Buddy Hield made a 3-pointer three seconds into the game and added 25, and the Indiana Pacers beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 135-126 on Thursday night.
Haliburton was 6 for 8 from 3-point range and Hield, who leads the NBA in 3-pointers, was 5 for 6. The Pacers finished 19 of 31 from beyond the arc.
&ldquo;You can't ask for much better shooting than that,&rdquo; said Pacers forward Aaron Nesmith, who had 22 points. &ldquo;They shoot the ball like that, it's going to be tough to beat us any night.&rdquo;
Indiana trailed by seven early in the fourth quarter before rallying. Hield fed Nesmith for a go-ahead dunk to give the Pacers a 120-119 lead with 4:26 remaining.
&ldquo;This is the most fun I&rsquo;ve had playing basketball in a very long time,&rdquo; said Nesmith, a third-year pro acquired from Boston in the offseason.
Haliburton converted a three-point play on the next possession and the Pacers never surrendered the lead.
&ldquo;This game was about our defense, or the lack of it,&rdquo; said Cavaliers coach J.B. Bickerstaff, whose team ranks No. 1 in fewest points allowed at 105.5 per game. &ldquo;We decided we wanted to play Indiana Pacers basketball and that's their strength. We didn't play Cleveland Cavaliers basketball and play to our strength.&rdquo;
Bennedict Mathurin scored 23 points and Myles Turner 14 as Indiana snapped a five-game losing streak against the Cavaliers, who have lost three in a row.
&ldquo;Any time the ball is going into the basket like that, you feel good,&rdquo; said Pacers assistant coach Lloyd Pierce, who took over after Rick Carlisle was ejected. "But (the Cavaliers) are capable of doing that. And that's scary for us.
&ldquo;When the ball goes into the basket, it makes you want to play that way. We have to play that way. And Ty is our leader. He's going to set the tone and the pace for us."
All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell scored 28 points to lead a balanced Cleveland offense with seven double-digit scorers. Mitchell sank five of the Cavaliers' 12 3-pointers.
&ldquo;We kept giving up 3s,&rdquo; Bickerstaff said. &ldquo;The 3-ball is the way back into the game. It&rsquo;s personnel-driven, understanding the person you&rsquo;re guarding, being on high alert that that&rsquo;s what they are looking for. I just didn&rsquo;t think we had the focus on the defensive end of the floor because we were scoring points. We have to be able to do both."
Cleveland's Caris LeVert and Jarrett Allen each had 19 and All-Star guard Darius Garland finished with 18 points and eight assists.
The 3-point barrage began just three seconds in as the opening tip was batted directly to Hield, who turned and swished a shot that was the fastest 3-pointer recorded since play-by-play began in 1996-97. In the first half, the Pacers hit 9 of 15 from beyond the arc and the Cavaliers 7 of 13. The Cavaliers led 68-64 at halftime.
TIP-INS
Cavaliers: Dropped to 6-10 on the road. ... Forward Cedi Osman (back) was a last-minute inactive and center Robin Lopez (illness) missed his second consecutive game.
Pacers: Carlisle was assessed two technicals and ejected with 1:29 remaining in the third quarter after arguing that an off-balance Mitchell threw the ball off the backboard to himself. ... Mathurin leads the league in bench scoring at 17.6 points per game.
UP NEXT
Cavaliers: Visit Chicago Bulls on Saturday.
Pacers: Host L.A. Clippers on Saturday.
___
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Tyrese Haliburton scored 29 points, Buddy Hield added 25, and the Indiana Pacers beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 135-126.

Haliburton, Hield combine for 11 3s, Pacers top Cavs 135-126

MIAMI (AP) &mdash; Tyrese Haliburton hit a 3-pointer in the final seconds and finished with a career-high 43 points, helping the Indiana Pacers to a 111-108 win over the Miami Heat on Friday night.
Haliburton&rsquo;s winning shot with just over four seconds left was his team-record 10th 3-pointer of the game. He was coming off a 33-point game in a win at Boston on Wednesday.
Against the Heat he shot 14 for 20 from the field and 10 for 16 from long distance. Haliburton also earned a bit of redemption by overcoming his worst offensive outing of the season against Miami on Dec. 12, when he scored one point.
&ldquo;That was in my mind coming into today,&rdquo; Haliburton said. &ldquo;I knew I had to respond the right way if I want to be the player I think I am and others think I am.&rdquo;
The Heat rallied from a 12-point deficit early in the fourth quarter and tied it at 108 on Tyler Herro&rsquo;s 3-pointer with 10 seconds left.
Haliburton took the inbounds pass, then dribbled to his left and took an uncontested shot several feet behind the 3-point line.
&ldquo;Coaches drew up a good play and trusted me to make the shot,&rdquo; Haliburton said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s my job, to help us win games. It&rsquo;s just exciting to share this moment with my teammates.&rdquo;
Buddy Hield finished with 21 points &mdash; all on 3-pointers &mdash; and Jalen Smith had 14 points and 11 rebounds for the Pacers.
&ldquo;Great players find a way to get that shot off,&rdquo; Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said of Haliburton&rsquo;s winner. &ldquo;He made a move that created a pocket of space and allowed him to get his feet set. I was standing right behind it and it looked good all the way.&rdquo;
Haliburton&rsquo;s week started with Knicks analyst Wally Szczerbiak, working for MSG Network, calling the Pacers guard &ldquo;Mr. Supposed Wannabe Fake All-Star.&rdquo; Szczerbiak later apologized for the comment. Haliburton has been on a tear since. He&rsquo;s averaging 38 points in the two games since Szczerbiak&rsquo;s line, with 16 3-pointers in those contests.
Herro scored 28 points, Kyle Lowry had 21 and Jimmy Butler 20 for Miami. Butler sat out the fourth quarter because of a sprained right ankle. The Heat&rsquo;s leading scorer sustained the injury in the first quarter and it began tightening up at halftime. He will be evaluated on Saturday, the Heat said.
&ldquo;My luck&rsquo;s not the greatest right now,&rdquo; said Butler, who missed Tuesday&rsquo;s home loss against Chicago because of a gastrointestinal illness. &ldquo;You&rsquo;ve got to take it in stride, man. It&rsquo;s part of this game, part of this league. But I&rsquo;ll be back.&rdquo;
The Heat have lost three of four at home.
Indiana led 100-88 after a 16-4 spurt early in the fourth quarter. Haliburton&rsquo;s jumper with 6:03 left capped the run.
&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think it has anything to do with us but he&rsquo;s going to come in highly motivated,&rdquo; Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said of Haliburton&rsquo;s performance. &ldquo;And he did.&rdquo;
TIP-INS
Pacers: Haliburton&rsquo;s first five baskets were 3-pointers. His first field goal inside the arc was a 19-foot jumper early in the third quarter. ... Guard Aaron Nesmith (right ankle sprain) didn&rsquo;t play. The ex-Celtic scored 15 points in the Pacers&rsquo; 117-112 win at Boston on Wednesday.
Heat: The loss dropped Miami to 9-8 at home. The Heat had a 29-12 home record last season. &hellip; Bam Adebayo had 18 points and seven rebounds, ending his double-double string at four.
MORE LIKE IT
The Pacers reached 100 points for the 31st time this season. Their loss against Miami on Dec. 12 was the second game the Pacers were held under 100.
&nbsp;

Tyrese Haliburton finished with a career-high 43 points, helping the Indiana Pacers to a 111-108 win over the Miami Heat.

Haliburton hits winning 3, scores 43 as Pacers beat Heat

BOSTON (AP) &mdash; Tyrese Haliburton scored 33 points and the Indiana Pacers opened a 30-point lead in the first half before holding off the slumping Boston Celtics 117-112 on Wednesday night.
Former Celtics player Aaron Nesmith had 15 points, Chris Duarte added 14 and Myles Turner had 10 to help the Pacers win for just the second time in six games.
&ldquo;We were certainly aware that they were going to come out in the second half and put everything into making a furious run, and they did," Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. &ldquo;I was just really proud of the way we hung tough in difficult stretches. We found ways to get stops and get the ball in the basket.&rdquo;
Jayson Tatum led Boston with 41 points after missing a game because of personal reasons, while point guard Marcus Smart sat out with a non-COVID illness.
Jaylen Brown added 19 points and 10 rebounds for Boston, and Malcolm Brogdon had 18 points. Atop the NBA a week ago, the Celtics have dropped five of six.
&ldquo;It's all about effort,&rdquo; Brogdon said. &ldquo;There's really not more much to it. We didn't really get the execution. You talk about execution in the first half, we didn't need to. We weren't playing hard enough to get the execution. We understood that it was about effort. I think we responded in the second half.&rdquo;
Coming off consecutive home loss to Orlando, the Celtics fell behind by 30 points late in the second quarter before Tatum carried them back into it.
Indiana led 71-43 at the half, and the Celtics walked off the court to a spattering of boos echoing down from the fans at TD Garden.
&ldquo;We just didn't play with a great sense of urgency, didn't play with awareness and didn't play with a sense of details,&rdquo; Boston interim coach Joe Mazzulla said.
Tatum&rsquo;s 3-pointer from the right wing cut Boston&rsquo;s deficit to seven points midway into the final quarter.
Brown&rsquo;s 3 made it 111-106 a few minutes later but Haliburton answered with a 3 from the top the next trip down the floor and the Pacers closed out the victory.
&ldquo;Tyrese is a great player,&rdquo; Carlisle said. &ldquo;There's a lot of talk right now about All-Star and who's going to be in and who's not going to be in. Tyrese Haliburton is our All-Star. In less than a year, he's completely changed the trajectory of our franchise.&rdquo;
The Pacers led by 19 points at the end of the first quarter and used an 11-0 run midway into the second, pulling ahead 59-30 before Nesmith&rsquo;s 3 from the left corner gave them their first of three 30-point leads late in the opening half.
&ldquo;It means a lot to me to take what I've learned from them and use it against them,&rdquo; Nesmith said. &ldquo;Just the little things every single day; not on the floor, but off the floor how they prepare.&rdquo;
BANK SHOT
Duarte banked in an off-balance 3-pointer from deep on the left wing as the third- quarter buzzer sounded, giving the Pacers a 100-85 lead.
TIP-INS
Pacers: The Pacers had a season-high 42 points in the first quarter when they shot 61.5% (16 of 26) and connected on 8 of 11 from 3-point range.
Celtics: Brown went tumbling over a TV table at midcourt early in the game but got right back up. &hellip; Three starters (Al Horford, Derrick White and Payton Pritchard) were scoreless in the first half.
&nbsp;

Tyrese Haliburton scored 33 points and the Indiana Pacers held off the slumping Boston Celtics 117-112.

Haliburton scores 33 points, Pacers beat slumping Celtics

After calmly knocking down a buzzer-beating three to send his team to victory over the Los Angeles Lakers at Staples Center, Indiana Pacers rookie Andrew Nembhard received a wave of praise and compliments all around. But the strongest words came from his head coach.
&ldquo;He&rsquo;ll go down as a top-12 or 15 pick when it&rsquo;s all said and done,&rdquo; Rick Carlisle stated on Nov. 28 about the No. 31 overall selection this past summer. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s where he should have been taken.&rdquo;
Eight days later at Golden State, following Nembhard&rsquo;s career-high 31-point, 13-assist effort against Stephen Curry and the Warriors, Carlisle doubled down: &ldquo;I&rsquo;m elevating that to top-10. He really is a special player.&rdquo;
On Friday morning in Cleveland, Nemhbard shared what he thought of Carlisle&rsquo;s commendable comments.
&ldquo;It just shows you the confidence they have in me on the court, and it allows me to have confidence in myself,&rdquo; Nembhard told Basketball News. &ldquo;I don't want to get too wrapped into the words, but obviously, it fuels the confidence in me for sure.&rdquo;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
steal 👉 slam Andrew Nembhard finds Aaron Nesmith in transition! <a href="https://t.co/tcugZFDTVL">pic.twitter.com/tcugZFDTVL</a>
&mdash; Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) <a href="https://twitter.com/Pacers/status/1601757878267715586?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 11, 2022</a></blockquote>

<script src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>

Nembhard has plenty of reasons to believe in himself, In December, he is averaging 11.0 points, 5.1 assists and 4.0 rebounds to go with 1.2 steals over 10 games with .489/.366/.778 shooting splits &mdash; nothing to gloss over for a first-year player. However, it&rsquo;s not about flashy statistics with him.
The very reason he got on the court in the first place is because of what he showed Indiana on the defensive end during training camp and preseason. Then, when Chris Duarte got injured in early November, the team looked his way to step up &mdash; and he&rsquo;s continued to reward that decision from that point on.
&ldquo;As we got into the year, he got tossed into a couple of games early,&rdquo; Carlisle said. &ldquo;He had tough matchups; the first time we played Miami, he guarded [Tyler] Herro some and was able to stay in front of him and contest some of his shots well.&rdquo;
That game was a sign of things to come. Since then, Nembhard has been tasked with going head-to-head with the NBA&rsquo;s best. Have a look at a sample of who the 22-year-old has matched up with the most and how they&rsquo;ve fared, per <a href="https://go.nba.com/4apvl" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NBA.com&rsquo;s matchup data</a>:
<ul>
<li>Stephen Curry: 2-for-7 with 3 turnovers in 11:36 (two games)</li>
<li>Kyle Kuzma: 4-for-9 with 2 turnovers in 7:48 (two games)</li>
<li>Jimmy Butler: 1-for-6 for 4 points with 1 block in 7:17</li>
<li>CJ McCollum: 2-for-4 for 6 points in 6:38</li>
<li>Damian Lillard: 2-for-5 for 5 points in 6:13</li>
<li>Jamal Murray: 2-for-8 with 1 turnover in 5:53</li>
<li>Scottie Barnes: 1-for-4 for 2 points in 5:39</li>
<li>Jalen Brunson: 5-for-9 for 11 points in 5:12 (Nembhard's worst output)</li>
<li>Darius Garland: 0 field goal attempts with 2 turnovers in 5:09</li>
<li>LeBron James: 0-for-4 with 1 block in 4:32</li>
</ul>
&ldquo;It's exciting man,&rdquo; Nembhard told Basketball News of the Pacers&rsquo; trust in him on that end. &ldquo;Personally, I've got so much confidence in my game that it's just like, I felt like I could do that. I like to compete, so that's something I just like to bring to the game every day, and I'm super happy that they've just allowed me to kinda do that and help the team in that way.&rdquo;
&ldquo;He's a guy that if you watch him within the defensive system, he always seems to be in the right place,&rdquo; Carlisle said. &ldquo;He's very aware and does a good job of blocking out. He does a good job of chipping blockouts, which means going and helping a big guy. Like [Friday], when Myles [Turner] is blocking out [Jarrett] Allen, his job is to go be the second guy, to try to take away his athletic step and stuff like that. And Drew just naturally does that stuff.&rdquo;
Backing Carlisle's words, film savant Caitlin Cooper of SB Nation's Indy Cornrows provided another example of the little things that Nembhard does on that end.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Here's another very tiny defensive detail from Andrew Nembhard: push switching. When the screener gets close enough to ghost screen, he makes them actually set the screen. That physicality makes the action more static and easier for Mathurin to navigate with the switch. <a href="https://t.co/Q9B8JYkPro">pic.twitter.com/Q9B8JYkPro</a>
&mdash; Caitlin Cooper (@C2_Cooper) <a href="https://twitter.com/C2_Cooper/status/1601623476733104128?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 10, 2022</a></blockquote>

<script src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>

&ldquo;I'm just like beyond impressed with the poise and maturity that he showed,&rdquo; Pacers veteran point guard T.J. McConnell told Basketball News. &ldquo;Asking him to come off the bench and then start, play a certain amount of minutes and guard the best players while you're out there, usually you don't have enough energy to do it on both ends, but he's done it... unreal. He's been unreal on both ends this year, and it's been a joy to watch."
According to McConnell, what Nembhard is putting on display now is what he saw over the offseason in the first few games of pickup. Admittedly, the 30-year-old didn&rsquo;t know it would translate for him this way, this seamlessly.
&ldquo;You kinda get so used to playing against someone, then you saw him do it against other NBA guys and do it consistently. When he just continued to do it, continued to do it, I'm like, 'This dude is the real deal,'&rdquo; McConnell said. &ldquo;You saw it from the beginning, but you didn't know how it was gonna adjust from an NBA season [standpoint], and he has hit the ground running and hasn't looked back. Just very proud. I see the work he puts in and the type of guy he is. Extremely happy for him.&rdquo;
Though tending to use the trusted pull-up game he excelled at as a high schooler and an underclassman at Florida, Nembhard has started to become a ready catch-shooter over the last few years at Gonzaga and, now, with the Pacers, converting on a healthy 36.4% on the season overall despite some inconsistencies in December. At the very least, he&rsquo;s a threat, which allows him to drive off the catch and go from there.
Nembhard&rsquo;s also moved the ball with ease, constantly making touch passes and heady reads. It helps that he&rsquo;s had reps as a handler and away from the ball already this early into his career.
&ldquo;I think it's similar honestly in terms of where I get the ball,&rdquo; Nembhard said. &ldquo;I'm still just playmaking off of our pace, stuff that we still do. So similar touches, just not bringing the ball up as much. Just not directing as much.
&ldquo;I think the way it's been so far has been good for me to just ease into getting comfortable on the court. I don't think I need it to be the primary guy right off the bat just 'cause that's tough as a rookie. I think they've allowed me to kinda grow and develop and slowly get to the point where I feel comfortable being in that primary role at times.&rdquo;
And to that point, Nembhard has been right at home with these fast-and-furious Pacers, who boast the league&rsquo;s fifth-highest pace at 102.26 possessions per game.
&ldquo;I think I've been a guy who's been able to play well in transition because of my assist-to-turnover ratio,&rdquo; Nembhard said. &ldquo;I feel like playing fast has just always been something about my game that I've succeeded at, so it's natural for me. I think for us, a young team, I think with our energy and our effort, it plays into our strengths.&rdquo;
(Per <a href="https://cleaningtheglass.com/stats/player/5120#tab-offensive_overview" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Cleaning the Glass</a>, his 1:29 assist-to-usage rate is in the 95th percentile among his peers in the league, additionally, and his 117.3 points per 100 shot attempts illustrates his efficiency.)
Nembhard&rsquo;s fellow rookie Bennedict Mathurin is garnering rave reviews as a real-deal Sixth Man of the Year candidate, and Tyrese Haliburton has upped his game to another level where he&rsquo;s leading the entire NBA in assists. Together as a trio this month, they&rsquo;ve combined for a net rating of plus-23.7 in 76 minutes.
&ldquo;I think me and Hali are good at playmaking and just like reading the game, and I think Benn's an aggressive scorer who's just confident in himself,&rdquo; Nembhard said. &ldquo;So we look for him. I think it's easy for him to play with both of us. I think we just flow well together just 'cause of our mix of skill and talent.&rdquo;
For these two rookies to be developing and producing at the same time is one thing, but to do it and rack up W&rsquo;s on a competitive, 15-win Indiana ball club that few on the outside saw coming is remarkable.
&ldquo;Man, it's exciting honestly. Personally, I love winning,&rdquo; Nembhard said. &ldquo;Ain't nothing like winning in basketball to be around that team environment. So that's a big plus, and I'm excited we're doing what we're doing so far. It's always early... But, I'm super excited I've been able to get on the floor and just help impact that winning."
"Got a lot of respect for Mathurin and Nembhard, two rookies who really like, talk. Like, they&rsquo;re there. Like, they make their presence felt," Donovan Mitchell said postgame Friday. "...Nembhard&rsquo;s had pretty big games against some good teams."
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
&ldquo;This is obviously probably the youngest locker room I've been a part of, and one of the best, if not the best. Just the positive energy each day and the youthful energy that everyone brings,&rdquo; McConnell added. &ldquo;I'm only 30, so when I say youthful energy, it's just 'cause everyone else isn't as old (laughs). But it's been great. [Through the] ups and downs of a season, we've stuck together. And I think that not a lot of people expected us to have the record we do now, and I think that's because of the tightness of the locker room.&rdquo;
As Carlisle made his aforementioned top-10 comment, he described Nembhard as &ldquo;old school, but new-school.&rdquo; Basketball News followed up on what he meant by that.
&ldquo;Well, he's tough, physical. He plays an efficient game,&rdquo; Carlisle explained. &ldquo;He has a natural aptitude for moving the ball and finding people and just getting to the pass that leads to the hockey assist. And he just has a real, pure intellect for the game; that's the old-school side. The new-school side is he's probably on social media like everybody else (laughs).
&ldquo;But he understands the style of today's NBA. At Gonzaga, they did some things as a team where, a lot of times, they played an NBA style. They played up-tempo, a lot of ball movement, not a lot of play-calling &mdash; play the game, play with each other, play random, find the best shot &mdash; all that kind of stuff.&rdquo;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
first bucket of the night is an and one by <a href="https://twitter.com/AndrewNembhard?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AndrewNembhard</a>. 💪 watch the game live on <a href="https://twitter.com/BallySportsIN?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BallySportsIN</a> or stream here: <a href="https://t.co/KN9XtXzQSD">https://t.co/KN9XtXzQSD</a> <a href="https://t.co/osXrE10Ftn">pic.twitter.com/osXrE10Ftn</a>
&mdash; Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) <a href="https://twitter.com/Pacers/status/1603915535992999940?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 17, 2022</a></blockquote>

<script src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>

Month-by-month, Nembhard has gotten better. You can see the jump happening in both the box scores and on the floor in general.&nbsp;
And maybe of the utmost importance, he is learning what life in the NBA is like.
&ldquo;It's just so much talent in this league,&rdquo; Nembhard said. &ldquo;You've gotta bring it every night. You could be playing against their best five, (but) the next six are still NBA players who can hoop. So it's like, there's not a night off in this league. Any team can beat anybody with a certain attitude, a certain demeanor every night.
&ldquo;I really don't know how to nitpick his game. He's been unbelievable on both ends,&rdquo; McConnell said. &ldquo;Maybe one thing is just try to stay out of foul trouble. But when you're guarding the best players, it's impossible not to pick up a foul here and there. But like, on the offensive and defensive end, he's been damn near close to perfect, and that's asking a lot of a rookie. He definitely doesn't play like one.&rdquo;

Spencer Davies interviews Andrew Nembhard and speaks to Rick Carlisle and T.J. McConnell to discuss the promising Pacers rookie.

Real-deal rookie: How Andrew Nembhard has already wowed the Pacers

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) &mdash; Jalen Brunson scored 30 points, Julius Randle made six free throws in the final minute and the New York Knicks beat the Indiana Pacers 109-106 on Sunday for their NBA-best seventh consecutive victory.
The 19th and final lead change came in the final minute, when Randle made two foul shots with 45.6 seconds remaining for a 105-104 lead. After the teams exchanged turnovers, Randle hit four more free throws in the final two possessions. The Pacers missed a shot from just inside half-court at the buzzer.
Randle finished with 25 points and 14 rebounds. RJ Barrett added 24 points.
Brunson, who was 11 of 22 from the field with three 3-pointers, started a fourth-quarter comeback from a 104-98 holet with a 3-pointer and then a steal and a layup in a span of 24 seconds.
Randle and Barrett have carried the Knicks during the winning streak. Randle averaged 27 points, 11 rebounds and 4.2 assists in the previous six games. Barrett averaged 22 points and 6.8 rebounds.
Buddy Hield and Aaron Nesmith each had 23 points for Indiana. Tyrese Haliburton and Bennedict Haliburton each added 15.
The Pacers, No. 1 in bench scoring at 41.9 points per game, had a 35-14 edge in reserves points.
A first half with seven lead changes and five ties ended with the Knicks ahead 54-53 after the Pacers' Buddy Hield had a last-minute 3-pointer changed to two points. By the end of the third quarter, there were 13 lead changes with the Pacers ahead 85-84.
TIP-INS
Knicks: Randle's second 3-pointer moved him past Nate Robinson for ninth on the team's career list at 415. He also passed Walt Bellamy for 28th on the scoring list with 5,083 points. ... Since Dec. 4, the Knicks lead the league in fewest points allowed at 97 per game.
Pacers: PF Jalen Smith, a 27-game starter, came off the bench for the third time in two weeks as coach Rick Carlisle went with a smaller, quicker lineup. ... Reserve G Chris Duarte (left ankle sprain) saw his first action since Nov. 4. ... Mathurin received his Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month award before the game.
&nbsp;

Jalen Brunson scored 30 points and the New York Knicks beat the Indiana Pacers 109-106 for their seventh consecutive victory.