NBA Matchups: April 3 | Establish The Run

IND @ CHA | MIN @ PHI | ATL @ BKN | CHI @ NYK | UTA @ HOU | TOR @ MEM | BOS @ MIL | ORL @ DAL | NOP @ SAC

Indiana Pacers at Charlotte Hornets (back end)

Team Totals: Pacers 111.3, Hornets 126.3

Injury Report: Aaron Nesmith (O, neck), Andrew Nembhard (O, neck/back), Pascal Siakam (P, knee), Jalen Slawson (D, G League), Jarace Walker (O, back), Hornets on a B2B

Pacers projected starters: Quenton Jackson, Ethan Thompson, Kobe Brown, Pascal Siakam, Jay Huff

Hornets projected starters: LaMelo Ball, Kon Knueppel, Brandon Miller, Miles Bridges, Moussa Diabate

Carlisle quotes: Said they played with great energy and tempo, said their 30 assists in the first half were the most by anyone this season, said Q-Jax is mostly a scoring guard but they can play without a pass-first point guard, said the Bulls didn’t have a matchup for Siakam and “he was a machine out there tonight.”

Lee quotes: Said they were very focused on defense against the Nets, said they were moving the ball well even when they had a big lead.

Stats and Notes: 

*The Pacers are on a roll with their offense, and over their last nine, they are fourth in offensive rating. They aren’t hitting the boards and are not running at all, so it’s largely been their halfcourt execution. Their schedule hasn’t been that soft either, and it’s more tied to guys like Pascal Siakam getting it going. They have been lucky with their 3-point shooting and also making a ton of mid-range shots, so it may not be sustainable. The Hornets can control boards and pace pretty well, but they’re on a B2B to possibly put the Pacers in an OK spot to hang around. For Indiana’s defense, they’ve had three solid games in a row (CHI, MIA, LAC) after a month-long stretch of being the worst defense in the NBA. They are still getting killed on the boards, which should be a huge advantage for a Hornets team that has been dominant in that area this season. 

*Pascal Siakam has been excellent in the last two games with 55 points in just 54 minutes. This matchup is much harder, as he’ll see a lot of Miles Bridges and a team that does protect the paint better. The Hornets still won’t help off too much to put him in an OK spot. They just don’t have much handling.

*Kobe Brown was second on the team in minutes, and Rick Carlisle seems pretty motivated to play him. He could be in play in this spot. Jay Huff’s minutes may not rise in this spot, and the matchup isn’t great against a team that really rebounds it well. He also shouldn’t be able to rack up the blocks, either. 

*The Hornets should be in a huge position to put up some big numbers, even in a B2B. The Pacers just don’t have any on-ball defense to stop these guys, and it’ll be Quenton Jackson on LaMelo Ball. The only concern with LaMelo is his B2B, which is probably enough to take him off the table in DFS. 

*Brandon Miller gets the best matchup with Kobe Brown likely guarding him. His matchup is better than Kon Knueppel‘s because the Pacers have been better at limiting C&S. We’ll see if the Hornets sit anyone, though.

Great matchups: Pascal Siakam, Brandon Miller

Good matchups: Miles Bridges, Moussa Diabate, Kobe Brown

Bad matchups: Jay Huff

Minnesota Timberwolves (back end) at Philadelphia 76ers (front end)