The Pacers' problem is still the same one. Haliburton has been out since straining his left hamstring against Milwaukee on October 26. Rick Carlisle said this week that it's progressing but that Haliburton will miss at least 10 more days, which is already longer than the original 2-week estimate and rules him out of Friday. Without him, Indiana is 4-8 and keeps finding ways to lose close games, like the 125-122 loss in Dallas and the 108-104 home loss to Atlanta.
The guard depth keeps getting thinner. Ben Sheppard is out for months after meniscus surgery, Johnny Furphy is only practicing with the G League's Noblesville Boom, and Aaron Nesmith left the Wizards game with right knee soreness after going 1-for-6 in 22 minutes. Nesmith is listed day-to-day, and he's the wing Indiana would most want guarding Brunson. If his knee holds him out or limits him, Indiana's perimeter defense gets very thin for this matchup.
The Wizards game showed what Indiana has without its star. It was tied 77-77 after 3 quarters, and then the Pacers won the 4th 37-24. Pascal Siakam scored 28, Ivica Zubac had 18 and 12, and Andrew Nembhard ran the offense with 17 points and 10 assists. That's the formula: Siakam scoring, Zubac controlling the glass and Nembhard keeping things organized. It worked against a Wizards team that has now lost 5 straight. It has to hold up against a Knicks team whose 2 stars both had big games in Cleveland.
So this game comes down to whether Indiana's grind-it-out version can keep the Knicks from pulling away the way they did against Milwaukee. The Zubac-against-Towns matchup inside is the one to watch, along with whether Nesmith is available to take on Brunson. If Indiana can keep it close into the 4th, the Wizards game shows they can close. If not, Friday could get away from them by halftime.
