The Pacers tip off a five-game road trip against Western Conference teams with a late start at Golden State.
Fortunately, NBA players are creatures of the night, so a 10:30 p.m. ET tip time in Golden State tonight will actually be better than a local afternoon start. Ready or not, the Pacers will have to maintain their high-level of defense against the lethal offensive weapons the Dubs have to throw at them.
Guarding the arc is always an emphasis for the Pacers but it is strictly a win or lose proposition against the Warriors with Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson available to snap off threes in a blink of an eye after the ball crosses half court. But for as shiny and fun to watch as Golden State's offense can be, their defense under Mark Jackson is among the tops in the league which is why they are not just fun to watch anymore, but instead a legit contender in the West.
The road trip bounces around the Western Conference for eight days after leaving the Bay Area. Here's the schedule:
- Monday, Jan. 20 at Golden State
- Wednesday, Jan. 22 at Phoenix
- Friday, Jan. 24 at Sacramento
- Saturday, Jan. 25 at Denver
- Tuesday, Jan. 28 at L.A. Lakers
The Pacers will do a bit of zig zagging but will likely face their toughest game tonight to begin things at Golden State. The other challenge will be handling two full off days in Los Angeles with the various distractions available to NBA players.
But the Pacers seem to thrive on creating and working through challenges this year, so no doubt they are thinking winning game one is the only way they can go 5-0 on this trip, so the Warriors are the focus for now.
Check out the links:
Game Preview: Pacers at Warriors | THE OFFICIAL SITE OF THE INDIANA PACERS
George invited to participate in All-Star events, but hasn’t made final decision yet | Pacers Blogs
Pacers' defense will travel with them on West Coast trip | Indianapolis Star | indystar.com
Pacers open 5-game trip at Golden State - 1070 The Fan
Crawford finding his comfort zone - SFGate
Andrew Bogut plays in crunch time of victory over Pelicans - Golden State Of Mind
Warriors' Lee gets squeezed out in the All-Star numbers game - SFGate
Golden State Warriors get quick fix from Jordan Crawford - San Jose Mercury News