The next chapter of the Indiana Pacers' Cinderella run in the NBA In-Season Tournament will see them take on the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday night at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. All eyes will undoubtedly fall on budding Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton, who is establishing himself as one of the best point guards in the NBA. Haliburton will look to lead Indiana to a massive upset and secure a spot in the NBA In-Season Tournament championship round.
Much like their quarterfinals game against the Boston Celtics, the Pacers enter the semifinals as underdogs and have the worst odds among the four remaining teams to win the entire thing. Nonetheless, it would not be smart to take this young and up-start Indiana squad lightly. The Pacers already shocked the world when they beat Boston. They could do it again against the Bucks in Las Vegas.
As spectacular as Tyrese Haliburton has been this season, the Pacers are also a deep team with tons of weapons surrounding their budding superstar. Haliburton has done a terrific job in getting the best out of his teammates on a nightly basis. Apart from him, seven other Pacers are scoring in double-figures this season. That is why Indiana boasts the best offense in the NBA. They are also number one in the league points per game, true shooting percentage, and pace.
With that said, the Pacers will need more than just a Tyrese Haliburton carry job. They will need their veterans such as Myles Turner and Buddy Hield to show up and play their A-games to continue their Cinderella run. But if the Pacers want to pull off the upset, they will also need sophomore Bennedict Mathurin, who will be their X-Factor, to step up.
Pacers X-Factor for NBA In-Season Tournament vs. Bucks: Bennedict Mathurin
After making the All-Rookie First Team last year, Bennedict Mathurin hasn't had the sophomore leap many expected from him prior to the start of the 2023-24 NBA season. His scoring is down from 16.7 points in his rookie campaign to 13.2 points this year. This is partly due to reduced minutes and a lesser role than he had last season as his minutes have also gone down from over 28 a game in 2022-23 to just over 24 a night in 2023-24.
Nonetheless, this isn't to say Mathurin is in the midst of a sophomore slump or a disappointing campaign. He just hasn't met expectations, especially since he had a terrific debut campaign last year. Still, Mathurin remains a key piece of what the Pacers are trying to accomplish this season and that includes winning the inaugural NBA In-Season Tournament.
Mathurin began the season as a starter. He started the first 12 games of the campaign before head coach Rick Carlisle relegated him back to a reserve role and brought in veteran Buddy Hield to the starting unit. Nonetheless, the move has done wonders for Mathurin.
As a starter, Mathurin averaged 13.0 points and shot just 41.9 percent from the field and 32.6 percent from beyond the arc. In seven games as a reserve, the Montreal, Quebec native is averaging 13.4 points while shooting 50.0 percent from the field and 47.4 percent from the field. Despite the “demotion,” it seems like Mathurin is striving in the new role — a role he actually thrived in last season.
Mathurin has been cooking since coming off the bench. The Pacers will need him to continue doing so if they want to slay the mighty Bucks and advance to the championship of the NBA In-Season Tournament.
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