Game ID: 22300350
LA Clippers @ Indiana Pacers
Monday, December 18, 2023 at 7:00 PM ET
Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, IN
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
IND 38 28 28 33 127LAC 37 40 37 37 151
IND vs LAC ScoutingIND vs LAC Scouting
Welcome to the scouting desk. The coffee is cold, the film is play-by-play, and somebody has to explain what happened.
Every game has a hinge — a stretch where it was decided, usually while everyone was watching something else. Start where the evidence lives: the Lineups' face-offs say which five actually won their minutes; the Possessions ledger says who ran ahead of the night's own pace; the Shot Chart says where the points really came from, which is rarely where the highlights were. When all three agree, that is the story. When they don't — that is why this desk has a chair.
IND availability going into 12/11 · 3 days' restOUT Smith missed 4 since 11/30, out tonight
OUT Sheppard missed 2 since 12/04, out tonight
OUT Nwora missed 6 since 11/24, out tonight
BACK Nesmith back 11/27 after 2, 27 min since (94% of 29)
NEW Haliburton 33 to 38 min over the last 4
NEW Toppin 21 to 27 min over the last 5
IND availability going into 12/13 · 1 day's restOUT Smith missed 5 since 11/30, out tonight
OUT Sheppard missed 3 since 12/04, returns tonight: 6 min (38% of 16)
OUT Nwora missed 7 since 11/24, returns tonight: 6 min (58% of 10)
IND availability going into 12/15 · 1 day's restOUT Nembhard missed 2 since 12/11, out tonight
OUT Smith missed 6 since 11/30, out tonight
BACK Sheppard back 12/13 after 3, 6 min since (38% of 16)
BACK Nwora back 12/13 after 7, 6 min since (58% of 10)
IND availability going into 12/16 · back-to-backOUT Nembhard missed 3 since 12/11, out tonight
OUT Smith missed 7 since 11/30, out tonight
BACK Sheppard back 12/13 after 3, 7 min since (47% of 16)
BACK Nwora back 12/13 after 7, 5 min since (50% of 10)
IND availability going into 12/18 · 1 day's restOUT Nembhard missed 4 since 12/11, out tonight
OUT Smith missed 8 since 11/30, out tonight
BACK Sheppard back 12/13 after 3, 10 min since (68% of 16)
BACK Nwora back 12/13 after 7, 7 min since (67% of 10)
IND availability going into 12/20 · 1 day's restOUT Nembhard missed 5 since 12/11, out tonight
OUT Smith missed 9 since 11/30, returns tonight: 8 min (50% of 16)
BACK Sheppard back 12/13 after 3, 10 min since (68% of 16)
BACK Nwora back 12/13 after 7, 9 min since (91% of 10)
NEW Jackson 13 to 19 min over the last 5
IND availability going into 12/21 · back-to-backOUT Nembhard missed 6 since 12/11, returns tonight: 16 min (61% of 26)
OUT Sheppard missed 2 since 12/18, out tonight
BACK Smith back 12/20 after 9, 8 min since (50% of 16)
BACK Nwora back 12/13 after 7, 9 min since (90% of 10)
NEW Jackson 13 to 18 min over the last 5
IND availability going into 12/23 · 1 day's restOUT Sheppard missed 3 since 12/18, out tonight
BACK Nembhard back 12/21 after 6, 16 min since (61% of 26)
BACK Smith back 12/20 after 9, 8 min since (50% of 16)
NEW Jackson 13 to 18 min over the last 5
IND availability going into 12/26 · 2 days' restOUT Sheppard missed 4 since 12/18, out tonight
OUT Nwora missed 2 since 12/21, out tonight
BACK Nembhard back 12/21 after 6, 26 min since (99% of 26)
BACK Smith back 12/20 after 9, 11 min since (71% of 16)
LAC availability going into 12/11 · 2 days' restOUT Coffey missed 3 since 12/02, out tonight
OUT Tucker missed 5 since 11/29, out tonight
OUT Plumlee missed 15 since 11/08, out tonight
OUT Hyland missed 3 since 12/02, out tonight
LAC availability going into 12/12 · back-to-backOUT Coffey missed 4 since 12/02, returns tonight: 9 min (43% of 21)
OUT Tucker missed 6 since 11/29, out tonight
OUT Plumlee missed 16 since 11/08, out tonight
OUT Hyland missed 4 since 12/02, returns tonight: 9 min (64% of 14)
LAC availability going into 12/14 · 1 day's restOUT Tucker missed 7 since 11/29, out tonight
OUT Plumlee missed 17 since 11/08, out tonight
OUT Boston missed 2 since 12/11, out tonight
BACK Coffey back 12/12 after 4, 9 min since (43% of 21)
BACK Hyland back 12/12 after 4, 9 min since (64% of 14)
LAC availability going into 12/16 · 1 day's restOUT Tucker missed 8 since 11/29, out tonight
OUT Plumlee missed 18 since 11/08, out tonight
OUT Boston missed 3 since 12/11, returns tonight: 5 min (50% of 10)
BACK Coffey back 12/12 after 4, 19 min since (93% of 21)
BACK Hyland back 12/12 after 4, 9 min since (64% of 14)
LAC availability going into 12/18 · 1 day's restOUT Tucker missed 9 since 11/29, out tonight
OUT Plumlee missed 19 since 11/08, out tonight
OUT Hyland missed 2 since 12/14, out tonight
BACK Coffey back 12/12 after 4, 18 min since (89% of 21)
BACK Boston back 12/16 after 3, 5 min since (50% of 10)
LAC availability going into 12/20 · 1 day's restOUT Tucker missed 10 since 11/29, out tonight
OUT Plumlee missed 20 since 11/08, out tonight
OUT Hyland missed 3 since 12/14, out tonight
BACK Coffey back 12/12 after 4, 18 min since (89% of 21)
BACK Boston back 12/16 after 3, 6 min since (55% of 10)
LAC availability going into 12/21 · back-to-backOUT Tucker missed 11 since 11/29, out tonight
OUT Plumlee missed 21 since 11/08, out tonight
OUT Hyland missed 4 since 12/14, returns tonight: 10 min (71% of 14)
BACK Coffey back 12/12 after 4, 23 min since (109% of 21)
BACK Boston back 12/16 after 3, 6 min since (55% of 10)
LAC availability going into 12/23 · 1 day's restOUT Tucker missed 12 since 11/29, out tonight
OUT Plumlee missed 22 since 11/08, out tonight
BACK Hyland back 12/21 after 4, 10 min since (71% of 14)
BACK Boston back 12/16 after 3, 9 min since (91% of 10)
NEW Coffey 21 to 27 min over the last 5
LAC availability going into 12/26 · 2 days' restOUT Leonard missed 2 since 12/21, out tonight
OUT Tucker missed 13 since 11/29, out tonight
OUT Plumlee missed 23 since 11/08, out tonight
BACK Hyland back 12/21 after 4, 9 min since (64% of 14)
BACK Boston back 12/16 after 3, 10 min since (101% of 10)
I Know — the desk, before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Indiana comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 123 a night and allowing 129, shooting 49 percent and 32 from three, 22 free throws a game; Haliburton at 20 and Turner at 18 a game. That is 3 straight losses. Without Nembhard (4 straight), Smith (8 straight). One day's rest. The Clippers come in 5-0 over their last five, scoring 127 a night and allowing 113, shooting 53 percent and 42 from three, 26 free throws a game; Leonard at 34 and George at 18 a game. That is 5 straight wins. Without Tucker (9 straight). One day's rest.
So: The Clippers win, on the road, and the game turns on the defense, the Clippers allowing 113 a night to Indiana's 129 and the arc, the Clippers at 42 percent from three to Indiana's 32. Call it the Clippers 123, Indiana 120, Indiana keeping it close.
12/11 @ DET 131-123 — IND notes
IND won 131-123. IND shot 57% (52 of 92) to DET's 56%, 13 of 31 from three, and got to the line 19 times to DET's 30. The glass went 43-30 for them. Mathurin led with 30 (10 of 17, 3 of 5 from three, 7 of 8 at the line); Turner added 23, Hield 16. The hinge was Q2, 33-25: IND came in trailing by 3 and left it ahead by 5, and the lead reached 15. Turner was the night's best plus/minus at +12.
12/13 @ MIL 126-140 — IND notes
IND lost 126-140. IND took 11 more shots (100 to 89), fed by 16 offensive rebounds, but shot 45% to MIL's 54%, 11 of 36 from three, and got to the line 32 times to MIL's 48. Turner led with 22 (8 of 14); Haliburton added 22, Mathurin 14. Q3 was theirs, 31-31, but the other 3 periods went 109-95 against them. Nesmith's -20 in 25 minutes was the worst on the floor.
12/15 @ WAS 123-137 — IND notes
IND lost 123-137. IND took 15 more shots (107 to 92), fed by 13 offensive rebounds, but shot 45% to WAS's 57%, 15 of 40 from three, and got to the line 16 times to WAS's 26. Jackson led with 20 (10 of 13); Haliburton added 19, Toppin 16. Q1 was theirs, 37-30, but the other 3 periods went 107-86 against them. Haliburton's -18 in 28 minutes was the worst on the floor.
12/16 @ MIN 109-127 — IND notes
IND lost 109-127. IND shot 50% (45 of 90) to MIN's 56%, 6 of 21 from three. Brown led with 17 (8 of 14, 1 of 3 from three); Nesmith added 17, Turner 12. Q2 was theirs, 35-34, the deficit cut from 3 to 2, but the other 3 periods went 93-74 against them. Brown's -20 in 27 minutes was the worst on the floor.
12/18 vs LAC 127-151 — IND notes
IND lost 127-151. IND shot 52% (49 of 95) to LAC's 57%, 12 of 33 from three. The glass went 34-46 against them. Mathurin led with 34 (12 of 20, 3 of 7 from three, 7 of 7 at the line); Jackson added 15, Toppin 14. Q1 was theirs, 38-37, but the other 3 periods went 114-89 against them. Haliburton's -37 in 31 minutes was the worst on the floor.
12/20 vs CHA — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Indiana comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 123 a night and allowing 136, shooting 49 percent and 35 from three, 21 free throws a game; Mathurin at 19 and Haliburton at 16 a game. That is 4 straight losses. Without Nembhard (5 straight), Smith (9 straight). One day's rest. Charlotte comes in 0-5 over its last five, scoring 101 a night and allowing 118, shooting 45 percent and 31 from three, 16 free throws a game; Rozier at 24 and Bridges at 18 a game. That is 5 straight losses. It has lost the glass by 12 a night. Without Ball (10 straight), Hayward (2 straight). One day's rest.
So: Indiana wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Indiana has been plus-0 a night and Charlotte minus-12 and the defense, Charlotte allowing 118 a night to Indiana's 136. Call it Indiana 124, Charlotte 117.
12/21 @ MEM — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Memphis comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 105 a night and allowing 114, shooting 43 percent and 33 from three, 23 free throws a game; Jackson Jr. at 28 and Bane at 24 a game. It has lost the glass by 6 a night. Without Smart (15 straight), Kennard (15 straight), Rose (2 straight). One day's rest. Indiana comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 126 a night and allowing 134, shooting 50 percent and 37 from three, 23 free throws a game; Haliburton at 17 and Mathurin at 16 a game. Without Nembhard (6 straight), Sheppard (2 straight). Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Memphis wins, and the game turns on the defense, Memphis allowing 114 a night to Indiana's 134 and the glass, where Indiana has been minus-2 a night and Memphis minus-6. Call it Memphis 120, Indiana 118, Indiana keeping it close.
12/23 vs ORL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Indiana comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 121 a night and allowing 129, shooting 50 percent and 37 from three, 19 free throws a game; Haliburton at 16 and Nesmith at 15 a game. Without Sheppard (3 straight). One day's rest. Orlando comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 106 a night and allowing 114, shooting 45 percent and 30 from three, 22 free throws a game; Banchero at 21 and F. Wagner at 18 a game. That is 4 straight losses. Without Fultz (19 straight), Ingles (3 straight). One day's rest.
So: Indiana wins, and the game turns on the defense, Orlando allowing 114 a night to Indiana's 129 and the arc, Indiana at 37 percent from three to Orlando's 30. Call it Indiana 119, Orlando 118, Orlando keeping it close.
12/26 @ HOU — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Houston comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 121 a night and allowing 119, shooting 48 percent and 37 from three, 26 free throws a game; Sengun at 23 and Smith Jr. at 20 a game. 2 days' rest. Indiana comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 119 a night and allowing 125, shooting 51 percent and 39 from three, 18 free throws a game; Haliburton at 18 and Turner at 17 a game. Without Sheppard (4 straight). 2 days' rest.
So: Houston wins, and the game turns on the line, where Houston takes 26 free throws a game to Indiana's 18. Call it Houston 122, Indiana 117.
12/11 vs POR 132-127 — LAC notes
LAC won 132-127. LAC shot 55% (49 of 89) to POR's 48%, 13 of 34 from three. Leonard led with 34 (11 of 19, 3 of 8 from three, 9 of 9 at the line); George added 20, Harden 20. The hinge was Q1, 43-32: from level to 11 ahead. Leonard was the night's best plus/minus at +13.
12/12 vs SAC 119-99 — LAC notes
LAC won 119-99. LAC shot 52% (44 of 84) to SAC's 42%, 11 of 29 from three. The glass went 49-38 for them. Leonard led with 31 (11 of 14, 2 of 3 from three, 7 of 7 at the line); Harden added 15, Powell 15. The hinge was Q2, 38-24: a lead of 8 became 22, and the lead reached 33. Harden was the night's best plus/minus at +26.
12/14 vs GSW 121-113 — LAC notes
LAC won 121-113. LAC shot 51% (41 of 81) to GSW's 43%, 13 of 32 from three, and went to the line 30 times to GSW's 19 — 26 points from the stripe to their 17. Harden led with 28 (6 of 12, 5 of 6 from three, 11 of 12 at the line); Leonard added 27, Powell 21. The hinge was Q2, 40-28: a lead of 1 became 13, and the lead reached 16. Powell was the night's best plus/minus at +20.
12/16 vs NYK 144-122 — LAC notes
LAC won 144-122. LAC shot 57% (50 of 88) to NYK's 47%, 16 of 33 from three, and went to the line 34 times to NYK's 26 — 28 points from the stripe to their 23. Leonard led with 36 (12 of 16, 5 of 6 from three, 7 of 7 at the line); George added 25, Powell 16. The hinge was Q2, 42-33: a lead of 2 became 11, and the lead reached 32. Zubac was the night's best plus/minus at +29.
12/18 @ IND 151-127 — LAC notes
LAC won 151-127. LAC shot 57% (56 of 98) to IND's 52%, 19 of 38 from three. The glass went 46-34 for them. Harden led with 35 (12 of 16, 8 of 11 from three); Leonard added 28, George 27. The hinge was Q2, 40-28: LAC came in trailing by 1 and left it ahead by 11, and the lead reached 33. Harden was the night's best plus/minus at +32.
12/20 @ DAL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Dallas comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 117 a night and allowing 121, shooting 48 percent and 37 from three, 20 free throws a game; Dončić at 37 and Hardaway Jr. at 19 a game. Without Irving (5 straight), Green (8 straight), Kleber (18 straight). One day's rest. The Clippers come in 5-0 over their last five, scoring 133 a night and allowing 118, shooting 55 percent and 43 from three, 26 free throws a game; Leonard at 31 and Harden at 22 a game. That is 5 straight wins. They have won the glass by 4 a night. Without Tucker (10 straight). One day's rest.
So: The Clippers win, on the road, and the game turns on the glass, where the Clippers have been plus-4 a night and Dallas minus-2 and the arc, the Clippers at 43 percent from three to Dallas's 37. Call it the Clippers 121, Dallas 117, Dallas keeping it close.
12/21 @ OKC — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
OKC comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 126 a night and allowing 120, shooting 49 percent and 32 from three, 27 free throws a game; Gilgeous-Alexander at 33 and Holmgren at 17 a game. It has lost the glass by 5 a night. 2 days' rest. The Clippers come in 5-0 over their last five, scoring 131 a night and allowing 114, shooting 55 percent and 43 from three, 27 free throws a game; Leonard at 30 and Harden at 21 a game. That is 5 straight wins. They have won the glass by 6 a night. Without Tucker (11 straight). Second night of a back-to-back.
So: OKC wins, and the game turns on the glass, where the Clippers have been plus-6 a night and OKC minus-5 and the arc, the Clippers at 43 percent from three to OKC's 32. Call it OKC 120, the Clippers 118, the Clippers keeping it close.
12/23 vs BOS — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
The Clippers come in 4-1 over their last five, scoring 130 a night and allowing 121, shooting 54 percent and 43 from three, 25 free throws a game; Leonard at 30 and George at 25 a game. They have won the glass by 4 a night. Without Tucker (12 straight). One day's rest. Boston comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 126 a night and allowing 113, shooting 49 percent and 41 from three, 18 free throws a game; Brown at 25 and Tatum at 24 a game. 2 days' rest.
So: The Clippers win, and the game turns on the line, where the Clippers take 25 free throws a game to Boston's 18 and the defense, Boston allowing 113 a night to the Clippers' 121. Call it the Clippers 119, Boston 118, Boston keeping it close.
12/26 vs CHA — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
The Clippers come in 3-2 over their last five, scoring 128 a night and allowing 128, shooting 53 percent and 41 from three, 22 free throws a game; Leonard at 31 and George at 24 a game. Without Leonard (2 straight), Tucker (13 straight). 2 days' rest. Charlotte comes in 0-5 over its last five, scoring 99 a night and allowing 121, shooting 42 percent and 25 from three, 17 free throws a game; Rozier at 21 and Bridges at 19 a game. That is 5 straight losses. It has lost the glass by 7 a night. Without Ball (12 straight). 2 days' rest.
So: The Clippers win, and the game turns on the arc, the Clippers at 41 percent from three to Charlotte's 25 and the glass, where the Clippers have been plus-2 a night and Charlotte minus-7. Call it the Clippers 123, Charlotte 111, the Clippers by 12.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
LACAC A. Coffey
BB B. Boston
DT D. Theis
IZ I. Zubac
JH J. Harden
KB K. Brown
KL K. Leonard
NP N. Powell
PG P. George
RW R. Westbrook
TM T. Mann
INDAN A. Nesmith
BB B. Brown
BH B. Hield
BM B. Mathurin
IJ I. Jackson
JJ J. Johnson
JN J. Nwora
OT O. Toppin
TH T. Haliburton
TM T. McConnell
LAC/IND the team itself, not a player
-- the feed named nobody
What
What happened
the codes in the Events column
M2 / M3 made 2 / made 3
X2 / X3 missed 2 / missed 3
FT / X1 free throw made / missed
AST assist
OR / DR offensive / defensive rebound
STL steal
BLK block
TO turnover
FL foul
OF offensive foul — ends the possession
VIOL violation
JUMP jump ball
TM timeout
IR instant replay
HE heave at the buzzer, filed to the team
END the clock ran out, ball in hand
Where
Where a shot came from
the middle field of M3.LW.25
RM at the rim inside 4 ft
RC right corner
RW right wing
SO straight on
LW left wing
LC left corner
M3.LW.25 made 3, left wing, 25 ft
X2.RM.01 missed 2, at the rim, 1 ft
When
When it happened
the Offset column
one number per event, in the Events order:
whole seconds from the start of the
possession to that event
Events FL X3.RC.23 OR M2.RM.01
Offset 0 18 22 24
the foul opens the possession at 0s;
the putback ends it at 24s, which is
the possession's own Dur
Harden, Leonard and George lead Clippers to 151-127 rout of Pacers for eighth straight win
INDIANAPOLIS -- — Kawhi Leonard and Paul George did most of the Los Angeles Clippers' heavy lifting.
Then, with the game out of reach in the fourth quarter, James Harden took over .
Harden scored 21 of his season-best 35 points in the fourth, and the Clippers got 28 points from Leonard and 27 from George to rout Indiana 151-127 on Monday night for their league-best eighth consecutive victory.
“It was fun to watch,” Leonard said when asked about Harden's late flurry.
The Clippers have been playing must-see basketball lately, winning five of their last six by double digits. They're on the franchise's longest winning streak since 2015-16 when they won 10 straight, and on Monday, they posted the fourth-highest scoring total in franchise history, and the highest this season.
Los Angeles put on its latest show against the NBA's second-worst scoring defense. Meanwhile, the Pacers' usually turbo-charged offense appeared to be a step slow after returning from a 12-day trip that took them through time zones.
Bennedict Mathurin had a season-high 34 points to lead Indiana. Isaiah Jackson scored 15 points while starting in place of injured two-time NBA blocks champion Myles Turner .
All-Star guard Tyrese Haliburton had an off night after missing Saturday’s game with a bruised knee. He had eight points, 11 assists and four turnovers.
But it was the inability to defend, again, that riled up Pacers coach Rick Carlisle.
“We've got a huge target on our back because of wining some games in the tournament, so the Pacers aren't sneaking up on anyone,” Carlisle said. “But our mindset, if it's shifted to just simply trying to outscore teams and away from any kind of emphasis defensively, that's got to stop and if it means massive lineup changes, that's what will happen.”
George again tormented his former team and the fans who routinely boo him each time he’s come back since forcing Indiana to trade him in the summer of 2017. He is averaging 36 points in his last five games at Indiana.
Initially, the Pacers looked fine as they built 51-46 lead midway through the second quarter.
But it didn’t last. Los Angeles seized control with a 21-6 spurt to take a 67-57 lead, led 77-66 at the half and pulled ahead 114-94 after three. Indiana never recovered.
Harden made sure of it by going 12 of 16 from the field and 8 of 11 on 3-pointers with nine assists in his most efficient performance since being acquired from Philadelphia in October.
“We're not trying to play the score,” Leonard said. “We're trying to win the quarters. And even if we have 20 points, we've still got to do our jobs and be efficient.”
The Pacers held a pregame tribute for two-time ABA champion George McGinnis, who died Thursday , with a highlight reel and a moment of silence.
UP NEXT
Clippers: Hope to extend their streak Wednesday night at Dallas.