Indiana

NY Liberty vs. Indiana Fever preview: Home Opener!

Published

6 months ago

May 18, 2024

NY Liberty vs. Indiana Fever preview: Home Opener!

That’s a good bit of business. The New York Liberty were the guests for the Indiana Fever’s much anticipated home opener on Thursday evening. The Liberty were unhospitable as they went wire-to-wire and won by 36 points. They are now 2-0 on the WNBA season.

Where to follow the game

ABC is the place to be. Brunch and basketball so we getting started at 1 PM.

Injuries

All clear for both teams.

The game

Sometimes, a box score tells you everything you need to know. And in Betnijah Laney-Hamilton’s case, that +43 in the box score lets you know how awesome she was on Thursday. Bee had the primary assignment on Caitlin Clark and shut the future All Star down. Clark couldn’t find her rhythm and only went 2-8 from the field and put up a 9/7/6 line. It was a total team effort and we got to see the chemistry and continuity of this experienced Liberty squad

For Clark, it’s a matter of continuing to adapt to the physicality of the W and the craftiness/intelligence of the defenders that are assigned to her. For the Liberty, they’ll continue to throw different looks at Clark and bump her off of her spot as much as possible. Look for Laney-Hamilton, Kayla Thornton, and a sea of seafoam to chase Clark around. For all the criticism the Liberty perimeter defense gets, they were still a terrific defensive team and communicate incredibly well with one another.

We’ve got a basketball doubleheader this weekend! The Liberty and Fever complete their two game mini-series, and tomorrow, a full series will end. Over at MSG, the Indiana Pacers and New York Knicks will do battle in game seven of the Eastern Conference semifinals. Basketball in NY is undefeated and hoops fans of all stripes will be well fed today and tomorrow.

Going into Thursday’s game, I was thinking Breanna Stewart needed some time to shake off some rust from not playing overseas and having a longer (but well deserved!) break from basketball. Shows what I know. Stew York looked like her MVP self on Thursday night and cooked the Fever to the tune of 31/10/4/3/2 in only 29 minutes. What helped Stewart immensely was her getting the majority of her shots by the rim and on the move. The Liberty are such a tremendously disciplined team and everyone on the court knows how to create the best shot possible for their teammate.

Paint touches are always what you want. You’re closer to the rim and have a higher chance of drawing fouls as compared to being out on the perimeter. It’s been an early point of emphasis for Sabrina Ionescu, and it’s been paying off for her. Sab went 3-3 from the restricted area and if she’s able to continue getting to the rim like this, she can become an even better offensive player. And in case you thought she was short,

Lol, @GeoffJMags asked Sandy Brondello what she makes of her “smaller players” attacking the paint thus far.
Sabrina Ionescu lets her respond, then says “I’m 5’11”, Geoff.”
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— Lucas Kaplan (@LucasKaplan_) May 17, 2024

That’s right!

Player to watch: Aliyah Boston

Me personally, I love when there’s a little animosity on the hardwood! The games are intense and everyone’s doing their best to win. And when you’ve got people at the top of their profession trying to win, it’s gonna get chippy every so often. We saw that on Thursday night as Boston and Jonquel Jones got into a little back-and-forth in the first quarter:

Sometimes you gotta let em know! For Boston, she’s looking to put her first good game of the season after rough outings on Thursday and against the Connecticut Sun. For the Fever to be what they need to be, they’re going to need a LOT more from their star center.

JJ only went 4-11 from the field, but she proved to be a force on both sides of the ball. She picked up three blocks, grabbed ten rebounds, and made life hell on every Fever big that suited up. You need that interior presence to really go places and if opponents can’t have any luck at the basket with JJ patrolling the paint, it gives everyone else on the team more room to exert their wills on defense. With Jones back looking better than ever, it makes a great Liberty team just a touch greater.

From the Vault

Home openers are always a good time, and last year at the ‘clays was no exception.

More reading: Indiana Fever Blog, Swish Appeal, The Strickland, The Local W, New York Daily News, New York Post, The Athletic. Fansided, Just Women’s Sports, SI All Knicks, Winsidr, Her Hoop Stats, CBS Sports, and The Next

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Indiana

How to Watch: Louisville Cardinals vs. Indiana Hoosiers

Published

5 hours ago

November 25, 2024

Press Room

How to Watch: Louisville Cardinals vs. Indiana Hoosiers

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Following a four-game home stand to open up the 2024-25 season, the Louisville men’s basketball program is heading back to The Bahamas to participate in the Battle 4 Atlantis, and will kick off the event against regional rival Indiana.

The Pat Kelsey era of the Cardinals is off to solid start, although they have played imperfect basketball during their 3-1 start to the season. They’re averaging 81.0 points per game and have a 18.3 scoring margin, but have shot just 29.4 percent from deep on the year, and lost by 22 to Tennessee in their lone game vs. a power conference team.

As for the Hoosiers, they’re off to an undefeated start in year four under head coach Mike Woodson. All of their games have been won by at least double figures, including an 87-71 victory over South Carolina. Mackenzie Mgbako is leading the charge for IU with 18.8 points per game.

This will be the 22nd all-time regular season meeting between Louisville and Indiana, with the Hoosiers owning a 12-9 advantage. IU has won the last two matchups against UofL, including a 74-66 decision back on Nov. 20, 2023 in their last matchup in the Empire Classic.

(Photo of Chucky Hepburn: Jamie Rhodes – Imagn Images)

You can follow Louisville Cardinals On SI for future coverage by liking us on Facebook, Twitter/X and Instagram:

Facebook – @LouisvilleOnSI
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You can also follow Deputy Editor Matthew McGavic at @Matt_McGavic on Twitter/X

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New Orleans takes on Indiana, seeks to end 4-game slide

Published

13 hours ago

November 25, 2024

Press Room

New Orleans takes on Indiana, seeks to end 4-game slide

Associated Press

New Orleans Pelicans (4-13, 15th in the Western Conference) vs. Indiana Pacers (7-10, ninth in the Eastern Conference)

Indianapolis; Monday, 7 p.m. EST

BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Pacers -5.5; over/under is 228

BOTTOM LINE: New Orleans heads into the matchup against Indiana as losers of four straight games.

The Pacers are 5-2 in home games. Indiana ranks fifth in the league with 17.0 fast break points per game led by Bennedict Mathurin averaging 4.5.

The Pelicans have gone 1-7 away from home. New Orleans averages 14.2 turnovers per game and is 3-4 when turning the ball over less than opponents.

The Pacers are shooting 48.7% from the field this season, 0.2 percentage points higher than the 48.5% the Pelicans allow to opponents. The Pacers average 103.8 points per game, 14.3 fewer points than the 118.1 the Pacers allow to opponents.

TOP PERFORMERS: Pascal Siakam is averaging 20.9 points, 6.4 rebounds and 3.8 assists for the Pacers.

Brandon Ingram is scoring 22.9 points per game and averaging 5.8 rebounds for the Pelicans.

LAST 10 GAMES: Pacers: 4-6, averaging 111.7 points, 38.9 rebounds, 26.1 assists, 9.0 steals and 5.0 blocks per game while shooting 47.7% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 115.5 points per game.

Pelicans: 1-9, averaging 100.2 points, 42.7 rebounds, 23.0 assists, 7.8 steals and 4.5 blocks per game while shooting 42.7% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 114.7 points.

INJURIES: Pacers: Aaron Nesmith: out (ankle), Andrew Nembhard: out (knee), Isaiah Jackson: out for season (calf), James Wiseman: out for season (calf), Ben Sheppard: out (oblique).

Pelicans: Zion Williamson: out (hamstring), Yves Missi: day to day (shoulder), CJ McCollum: day to day (thigh), Herbert Jones: out (shoulder ), Dejounte Murray: day to day (hand), Jose Alvarado: out (hamstring).

___

The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

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Wizards Drop 11th Straight in Loss vs. Pacers

Published

21 hours ago

November 24, 2024

Press Room

Wizards Drop 11th Straight in Loss vs. Pacers

The Washington Wizards are still in the loss column after falling to the Indiana Pacers 115-103 inside Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Sunday evening.

The Wizards remained competitive throughout the game, especially after the first half when they led by two points going into halftime.

However, the Pacers pulled ahead in the second half and were able to cruise to a double-digit victory.

The Pacers had seven players scoring in double figures, including a team-high 22 points from Pascal Siakam. Myles Turner had a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds.

The Wizards were sorely missing their leading scorer in Jordan Poole, who was ruled out prior to the game with a hip injury. That put Kyshawn George into the starting lineup, where he scored 15 points while grabbing five rebounds and dishing out five assists.

All five starters scored in double figures with Bilal Coulibaly and Alex Sarr scoring 17 points apiece for the team-high.

With 11 consecutive losses, the Wizards remain at the bottom of the NBA standings, but there are some positives that the team will walk away with.

The Wizards will look to snap their losing streak back at home on Tuesday against the Chicago Bulls.

Make sure you bookmark Washington Wizards on SI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns and so much more!

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