The Indiana Pacers (5-18) host the Sacramento Kings (6-17) Monday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. You can catch the action on NBA League Pass at 7 p.m. ET.
The Pacers are rebounding from a rocky start to the season and have won three of their last five, including a pair of quality wins over the Bulls. Meanwhile, the Kings are wrapping up a quick road trip Monday and enter tonight coming off a convincing win over the Heat on Saturday. Here are the key things to watch in the Pacers vs Kings showdown tonight.
- A look at the under-the-hood stats for Indiana: The Pacers ‘record and advanced metrics tell two different stories. Indiana ranks top 10 in ORTG and their net rating is 13th overall, which is actually ahead of teams like the Lakers and Heat. Though they’ve had trouble converting that level of performance into wins, Indiana is playing solid basketball. They spread the scoring burden around extremely well with five players averaging at least 14 points per game and are led by Pascal Siakam’s 24.5 ppg. They also push the pace, ranking 7th in that category.
- Pacers must contain Zach LaVine: LaVine is Sacramento’s most dangerous scorer, pouring in 20.9 points per game. He’s coming off his best scoring outing of the season as he torched the Heat for 42 points. LaVine was 8-for-13 from beyond the arc in that one, which was also his best 3-point performance this season. The Pacers will present a unique challenge in that facet of the game, though. Indiana ranks 4th in opponent 3P%, with opponents shooting just 33.4 percent from deep against the Pacers.
- Which team can control the boards? Both teams have dealt with key absences this season and the impact can be quantified. Sacramento’s performance on the glass of late has been directly affected by Domantas Sabonis’ knee injury, which will keep him out until at least late December. Over the last nine games – which lines up with Sabonis’ injury – the Kings rank last in rebound percentage. That’s a far cry from last season, when the Kings were the sixth-best rebounding team. Indiana’s run to the NBA Finals last season wasn’t necessarily fueled by dominating the boards, but Myles Turner’s departure this offseason has been difficult to overcome up front. The Pacers rank 23rd in rebounding on the year. As such, it’s a toss-up as to who will win the rebounding battle tonight.
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