The Indiana Pacers have been looked at by plenty of analysts as a dark-horse playoff team in the congested Eastern Conference postseason picture, and it's not hard to see why. After all, the Pacers were the fourth seed last year before Tyrese Haliburton went down with an injury. But the early goings of the 2023-24 season haven't been seamless at all for the Pacers. At the time of writing, they have a 3-3 record, including losses to the Chicago Bulls and Charlotte Hornets as well as a 51-point beatdown at the hands of the Boston Celtics.

Nevertheless, the Pacers have already begun life in the NBA In-Season Tournament in positive fashion, beating the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday night to open play in Group A of the Eastern Conference. With matchups against the Philadelphia 76ers, Atlanta Hawks, and Detroit Pistons on the docket, can the Pacers, against all odds, be the team from its group to earn a spot in the knockout stage?

NBA In-Season Tournament format, explained

Each team will play a guaranteed four games, one contest apiece against every member of their group. This will both count as regular-season games and NBA In-Season Tournament contests. Only the top team of the group is guaranteed to advance to the knockout stage. Thus, there will be three teams from each conference to advance to the eight-team, single-elimination quarterfinals stage. Two teams would then round out the proceedings by virtue of qualifying via the wild card — the best non-group winning team.

All NBA In-Season Tournament games, apart from the championship matchup, will count towards a team's regular-season record. (The NBA has adjusted teams' schedules for the sole purpose of accommodating this new tournament.)

Pacers' In-Season Tournament Schedule, Opponents, and Bold Predictions

Game 1: Cleveland Cavaliers

  • Friday, November 3
  • 7:00 PM ET
  • Gainbridge Fieldhouse
  • Pacers win 121-116

Even with Darius Garland and Jarrett Allen returning from injury just in time for the Cavs' battle against the Pacers on Friday night, it was Indiana that came out on top thanks to an inspired game from both Myles Turner and Tyrese Haliburton. This game also showed that there might be two easy switches the Pacers can make that should make them an even more consistent team on both ends of the floor.

During this game, the Pacers decided to give more minutes to both Buddy Hield and Aaron Nesmith over Bennedict Mathurin and Obi Toppin, respectively. Mathurin, in particular, has struggled to start his sophomore campaign. A role in the starting lineup seems to have thrown him off rhythm, as he has struggled from the field and his free-throw rate has declined considerably. Hield, meanwhile, is such an easy fit alongside Haliburton; the 2020 three-point champion was a +16 during this game, a huge plus in a five-point win.

The Pacers, for now, may be inclined to keep Mathurin and Toppin in the starting lineup. But this game showed that both Hield and Nesmith definitely deserve a bigger role than the one they've gotten thus far amid the Pacers' rocky start.

Game 2: Philadelphia 76ers

  • Tuesday, November 14
  • 7:00 PM ET
  • Wells Fargo Center

The Pacers, like most other teams, struggled against Joel Embiid all throughout the 2022-23 season. The Sixers have won six straight games against them dating back to the 2021-22 season, and with the team's frontcourt personnel not undergoing much of a change, Philly figures to have a huge advantage on the interior given Embiid's dominance over Myles Turner.

For reference, the reigning league MVP has averaged 29.3 points, 11.6 rebounds and 3.8 assists in 13 games against Turner for his career; meanwhile, the Pacers center has mustered a paltry 9.5 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.5 blocks in those matchups — a huge mismatch.

Barring an absence from Joel Embiid, the Sixers should be making it eight straight wins against the Pacers (including a win over them on November 12), handing Indiana its first loss of the NBA In-Season Tournament.

Game 3: Atlanta Hawks 

  • Tuesday, November 21
  • 7:30 PM ET
  • State Farm Arena

This should be yet another banger of a game that gets fans' pulses raising, with two of the best floor generals in the association squaring off. Both the Pacers and Hawks love going to the lob game as well, and there should be plenty of dunks between these two teams in what should be a barn-burner.

Nevertheless, with the Pacers struggling on defense to begin the year, it may be a tough task for them to keep the Hawks off the board all night long. The Hawks have also posted the sixth-best net rating to begin the season, looking as if they've made a leap under the tutelage of head coach Quin Snyder.

As painful as it may be for Pacers fans, they may be falling to 1-2 after this game, with the Hawks knocking them out of knockout stage contention in a high-octane affair.

Game 4: Detroit Pistons

  • Friday, November 24
  • 8:00 PM ET
  • Gainbridge Fieldhouse

On paper, the Pistons are the worst team in their NBA In-Season Tournament group. But games rarely go as seamless as one thinks they would.

This will be the Pacers' third game in four nights, and they'll be facing a rest deficit against a Pistons team that will have three full days of rest entering this contest. That should fuel the Pistons to an upset victory, causing the Pacers much consternation after such a promising start to life in the inaugural NBA In-Season Tournament.

Final prediction: Pacers go 1-3, fail to make knockout stage