NBA: Golden State Warriors at Indiana Pacers

The Golden State Warriors are headed to the Bankers Life Fieldhouse to face the Indiana Pacers. Klay Thompson and the squad will have to get it done without their leader Stephen Curry who is sitting out with a sore right ankle. The Pacers have been no strangers to injuries themselves, losing Paul George and multiple players at the start of the season. The Warriors have the league’s best record and will attempt for win number 44.

1st Quarter

Shaun Livingston got the start and he hit the opening bucket of the game. The Pacers are very good defensively, but the Warriors were able to score early and they played at a good pace. The Pacers kept up with the Warriors, but you could tell the offense was going to be run through Klay Thompson early on. He hit a triple to give the Warriors an 11-8 lead and they took off from there. Draymond Green pitched in and with another Klay jumper the lead was now 8. The Warriors were in control for the rest of the quarter and they kept adding to the lead. A Leandro Barbosa layup gave them a 12 point lead with about four and half minutes left in the quarter. Both of the teams traded baskets at the end of the quarter, but the Warriors were able to hold them off. Thompson finished the quarter with 15 points and the Warriors needed him to pick up the slack with Curry out for the game.

2nd Quarter

The Pacers got off to a fast start in the second, they went on a 6-2 run in the first two minutes. The second unit came into the game and they still were able to score some baskets and keep the lead with a Barbosa triple. Unfortunately, Barbosa fouled C.J. Watson and he got three free throws out of it. That started a 14-4 run for the Pacers and all of a sudden the lead was down to one. A George Hill bucket gave the Pacers the lead and this turned into a tough game. The Pacers then went on a little run and they went up by seven. A Shaun Livingston jumper cut the lead to one with one minute left in the quarter, but the Pacers dominated this quarter and they were hitting their shots. Stuckey was a problem all quarter and they were able to maintain a three point by the break. The Warriors weren’t hitting their shots and they were going to need to play better in the second half.

3rd Quarter

The Pacers seemed to have all the momentum heading into the break, but it was the Warriors who got off to a good start at the beginning of the third quarter. They went on a 6-0 run and the Warriors took a three point lead with about nine and half minutes left in the period. The Pacers took a timeout to regroup and it helped them. Indiana’s Solomon Hill hit a jumper and dunk and the Pacers retook the lead. The Warriors needed to take a time-out of their own after yet again letting Indiana come back. Klay Thompson hit a triple to give them a one point lead, but Stuckey was on his game tonight and he helped the Pacers go on a 9-3 run, which gave them a five point lead. An Ian Mahinmi bucket gave me them a seven point advantage, which was their biggest lead of the game. The Warriors made a run at the end of the quarter, but the Pacers fired right back. The Warriors were down five going into the final quarter.

4th Quarter

The Warriors needed a strong quarter to win this game and they didn’t get off to best start. The Pacers were rolling and they grew their lead to nine. The second unit had played well all season, but today they struggled. The Warriors only had six points in the first six minutes of the game, but the Pacers weren’t scoring very much either. Iggy gave the team some life with a dunk and Klay hit six straight points to cut the deficit to one with five minutes left in the quarter. Unfortunately, the Warriors were not able to regain the lead. They had a couple good looks and Thompson was incredible, but it wasn’t enough. The Pacers beat the Warriors 104-98, despite 39 points from Klay Thompson.