Friday, March 22 at 10 p.m. ET at Chase Center
Game Overview
The Indiana Pacers’ final long road trip of the regular season will then take them on a three-game road trip to California, beginning their West Coast visit with a battle in the Bay Area.
In the second game of their five road games, the Pacers (39-31) will face the Golden Warriors (36-32) Friday at Chase Center.
Although this is a non-conference game, there could be added incentive for the Blue and Gold to win against Golden State, as the Pacers could secure at least one spot in the Play-In tournament. They beat the Warriors.
At the same time, the Blue & Gold could get some help before then, as they would also earn a Play-In berth if the Milwaukee Bucks beat the Brooklyn Nets on Thursday.
The Pacers currently occupy sixth place in the East, with only half a game ahead of the Philadelphia 76ers (38-31). The six best teams in the final ranking avoid the Play-Ins and go directly to the playoffs.
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Indiana enters Friday’s game with four straight road wins, including one Victory 122-103 against the Detroit Pistons (12-56), Wednesday in Motor City.
Against the Pistons, Pacers All-Star Tyrese Haliburton shook off a cold shooting streak by going 9 of 13 for 20 points in 26 minutes, while Pascal Siakam scored a team-high 25 points on 10 shooting. 15.
Indiana, the highest-scoring team for most of the season, has won differently in recent weeks. The Pacers are 4-2 over their last six games, as the team has put up some of its best defensive efforts of the season, allowing just 108.5 points per game over this period.
Golden State enters Friday’s game after a 137-116 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies (23-47) on Wednesday. The Warriors have a better record on the road (18-14) than at home (18-18) this season and are 5-5 in their last 10 games.
Against Memphis, three Warriors players scored more than 20 points, led by 26 from Jonathan Kuminga, 23 from Klay Thompson and 22 from Andrew Wiggins.
A key point for the Pacers will be finding a way to slow down two-time MVP Stephen Curry, who torched the Blue & Gold for 42 points on 11 3-pointers in a 22-point win at Golden State in Indianapolis in February . 8. In his 15th season, Curry is still a dominant force, averaging 26.8 points per game and leading the league with 301 3-pointers.
When the teams last met, the Warriors were without Thompson due to injury. After starting early in the season, Thompson moved into a bench role and provided a big boost to the Warriors’ second unit in recent weeks. Thompson is averaging 17.3 points per game this season.
After playing at Golden State, the Pacers will travel to the City of Angels to face the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday and the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday before concluding their road trip on Wednesday at the Chicago Bulls.
Projected starters
Pacers: G – Tyrese Haliburton, G – Andrew Nembhard, F – Aaron Nesmith, F – Pascal Siakam, C – Myles Turner
Warriors: G – Stephen Curry, G – Brandon Podziemski, F – Andrew Wiggins, F – Jonathan Kuminga, C – Draymond Green
Injury report
Pacers: Bennedict Mathurin – out (labral tear in right shoulder)
Last meeting
February 8, 2024: In Indiana’s final pre-All-Star break game, Warriors superstar Steph Curry dropped 42 points in a 131-109 victory over the Pacers at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
Indiana trailed 45-34 at the end of the first quarter and never recovered. Curry finished 6 of 6 from 3-point range in the opening period and had 29 points at halftime in the blowout victory.
The Warriors outshot the Pacers 55.9 to 48.1 percent, including hitting 17 3-pointers to Indiana’s 12. Golden State dominated the boards, outscoring Indiana 49-30.
Pascal Siakam led six Pacers in double figures with 16 points and eight rebounds, and Myles Turner had 15 points and seven rebounds.
Curry finished 15 of 22 (11 of 16 from 3-point range) shooting for his game-high 42 points, while Jonathan Kuminga had 18 points, Gui Santos scored 13 and Dario Saric and Andrew Wiggins each recorded 11 points for Golden State.
Outstanding
- Friday’s game will be the 100th regular season game between the Pacers and Warriors. Indiana leads the all-time series, 52-47.
- Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle has 935 career wins, just one shy of passing Dick Motta for 13th place on the all-time list.
- Pacers center Myles Turner has 1,243 career blocks and we need three more to break Jermaine O’Neal’s franchise record.
- If the Warriors win Friday, it will be their first sweep against the Pacers since the 2018-19 season.
- Warriors rookie Trayce Jackson-Davis is the son of Pacers legend Dale Davis. Jackson-Davis played at Center Grove High School in Greenwood and Indiana University before being chosen by the Warriors with the 57th overall pick in the 2023 draft.
Broadcast information (TV and Radio Programs >>)
TV: Bally Sports Indiana – Chris Denari (play-by-play), Quinn Buckner (analyst), Jeremiah Johnson (sideline reporter/host)
Radio: 93.5/107.5 The Fan – Mark Boyle (play-by-play), Eddie Gill (analyst), Pat Boylan (sideline reporter/host)
After a five-game road trip, the Pacers will return to Gainbridge Fieldhouse to host LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday, March 29 at 7 p.m. ET. Find tickets >>
