[ad_1]
After an impressive start at home, the Pacers 144: 117 (40:24, 29:21, 39:33, 36:39) crushed the Charlotte “Hornets” and will play the decisive game for the playoffs Thursday through Friday. in the evening. .
The Indiana team was not far behind TJ Warren, Myles Turner, Jeremy Lambo and Caris LeVert, who fell out of the lineup due to COVID-19 protocols, but it turned out that just before the start of the match Malcolm Brogdon had missed 10 matches due to trauma injury.
The most productive Pacers player of the season, along with Domantas Sabonis and other teammates, did not let the guests think about the victory and led the 48 minutes of the game.
The Pacers beat their opponents early in the game. Doug McDermott filled the opponents’ basket with as many as three triples in a matter of minutes, scoring a total of 16 points in the first quarter, and Indiana led by 40:24 after 12 minutes of play.
The situation in the square did not change in the second quarter. Although the Hornets began to find opportunities in a quick attack and defended more often against their own basket, the advantage of the Pacers not only did not decrease, but also increased: after two halves it reached 24 points (69:45) . .
The only person whose bag was tied in the first half of the match was Domantas Sabonis.
The Lithuanian was not able to break the opponents’ defense in any way and in the first two quarters he had only hit a shot of eight and scored only 2 points. In addition, D. Sabonis won two fouls in attack and devoted a lot of effort to appeal the decisions of the referees. It is true that he had already bounced 12 balls after the first half of the game and made 5 assists.
D. Sabonis joined the Pacers’ insane attacking party after a long hiatus.
In total, he scored as many as 12 points in the third quarter, completing three straight attacks on his team at the same time, while Indiana continued to crush defenseless opponents, leading by 108: 78 after three quarters.
The last quarter of this match became only a formality, the difference during it reached 39 points (139: 100), and D. Sabonis did not compete during it.
However, three quarters and almost 33 minutes played were enough for a Lithuanian to compile impressive statistics.
The Pacers star stayed in the hair from the triple double: he scored 14 points (7/13 doubles, 0/2 trit.), Bounced up to 21 balls and had 9 assists.
“The only reason Sabonis didn’t get a triple-double is the Charlotte Hornets game. As a result, Sabonis will no longer play in the fourth quarter,” laughed Greg Anthony, who commented on the game live.
Photo by Scanpix / Domantas Sabonis
In just three halves, bouncing 21 balls was one step short of his career record. The Lithuanian, who is competing in the NBA season for his fifth season, has caught 22 balls twice in one game.
In addition to the main statistical indicators, D. Sabonis caught 1 more ball, blocked 1 shot, made five errors and fouled three times. With D. Sabonis on the field, the Pacers beat their opponents by 27 points, this is the best result of the team.
After surviving one game, the second Pacers will play Thursday through Friday night in Lithuanian time. 3 pm Saboni’s club will try to beat the Boston Celtics or Washington Wizards in the next game. In the event of a victory, the Pacers would enter the playoffs, with up to four first-round wins against the Philadelphia 76ers, who won the Eastern Conference in the regular season.
The Indianapolis game became LaMelo Ball’s last this season. The Hornets rookie, who played in Lithuania a few years ago, is the main contender to win the rookie of the year award, but in the deciding match he failed: LaMelo scored 14 points, but only 2 double points from 8 2 three 6 points.
Also, the Charlotte player made a mistake four times and made a ton of mistakes on defense. When on the field, the Hornets lost 35 points to their opponents and it was the worst result of all participants in the game.
The Hornets played a decisive battle without Gordon Hayward, who has been treating an ankle injury since early April.
“Markers”: Oshae Brissettas 23 (7/8 ed.), Doug McDermott 21 (4/6 trit.), TJ McConnellas 17, Malcolm Brogdon 16 (8th ed.), Domantas Sabonis (21st ed., 9th ed.), Kelan Martin and Goga Bitadze (10 sec.) After 14, Justinas Holiday 12.
“Hornets”: Milesas Bridgesas 23 (8 atk. Kam.), Cody Zelleris 17 (7/7 dvit.), Terry Rozieras 16 (0/9 trit., 8 atk. Kam., 6 rez. Lost), LaMelo Ballas 14, Malikas Monkas 13.
[ad_2]
