1 week Ago
The Indiana Pacers fell to the Miami Heat in their first game of the NBA Cup on Friday night, losing 124-121. The starting unit, which was booed off the court by the home fans, was outscored by 32 points by Miami's starting unit. Three of five of Indiana's leading scorers came off the bench, who Rick Carlisle relied on heavily throughout the game.
After the game, some of the starters were clearly embarrased, as was Carlisle, but they still managed to commend the bench unit on a job well done, containing the damage. © Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images "Second unit guys showed really what this game is about," said Carlisle after the game. "If I was one of the starters, in part of that, I'd be embarrassed.
" Tyrese Haliburton had one of his better games of the disappointing season, scoring an efficient 18 points, although he was also benched for large portions of the game. "I want to be on the floor, and it's frustrating, but that's the repercussions of not doing your job, and you gotta cheer on the second group, and they were awesome, so we got to just be able to play as hard as that group," said Haliburton. "When they came in, they went on a run in the second half.
" Obi Toppin was Indiana's leading scorer with 21 points off the bench, but he wanted to give some praise to the younger guys. "They put in the work every single day, we see (Furphy, Sheppard, and Freeman) in the gym every day, they put in the work, and they're always going to be ready for when their name is called," said Toppin. Related: Rick Carlisle Takes Blame for 'Ugly' Pacers Fan Reactions Johnny Furphy played eight minutes, although failed to score.
Ben Sheppard was a part of the disappointing starting unit thanks to injuries to Aaron Nesmith, but once Nesmith is healthy he will return to the bench. The Pacers will have a chance to recover on Sunday night as they host the Heat for the second straight game in what stands to be a must-win matchup. Related: Pacers Linked to Superstar in NBA Trade Rumors.
