Saturday, May 15, 2021 at 1:00 PM ET at Bankers Life Fieldhouse
Matchup
The Pacers (33-37) could see the return of LeBron James when the Los Angeles Lakers (40-30) visit Bankers Life Fieldhouse for Indiana s final regular-season home game on Saturday afternoon. It would be the superstar s third appearance in the last 28 Lakers games after dealing with a high ankle sprain.
Indiana has been no stranger to the injury bug this season as well especially down the stretch. The squad battled tough against the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday night but eventually fell, 142-133, after T.J. McConnell and Domantas Sabonis suffered injuries during crucial moments of the match. While McConnell played through his thumb sprain, Sabonis exited with a left quad injury and did not return.
The Twins announced their three-phase roadmap to returning to full capacity later this season, with the first of three capacity increases set to start May 14.
Tuesday, May 11, 2021 at 8:00 PM ET at Bankers Life Fieldhouse
Matchup
After pulling out a win on Monday night in Cleveland, the Pacers return to Bankers Life Fieldhouse for their final homestand of the season, which tips off Tuesday when Indiana (32-36) hosts East-leading Philadelphia (47-21) on the second night of a back-to-back.
The Pacers magic number to secure a berth in the NBA s new Play-In Tournament is down to two following a 111-102 victory over the Cavs. The Pacers could secure a Play-In berth with a win on Tuesday and a Chicago loss to Brooklyn.
Indiana got a big lift from former Butler star Kelan Martin on Monday. Martin went off for 25 points on 11-of-16 shooting (3-of-4 from 3-point range) against Cleveland. Prior to Monday, Martin had scored in double figures just once all season an 11-point performance in last Wednesday s loss to Sacramento but he scored 12 points in the fourth quarter alone on Monday.
Recap
After losing a close game in overtime to the Washington Wizards, the Pacers (32-36) picked up a much-needed, 111-102 win over the slumping Cleveland Cavaliers (21-48) at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse. The victory vaulted Indiana into ninth place in the Eastern Conference standings, making them one step closer to securing a Playoff Play-In spot.
Tied at 91 midway through the fourth, the Pacers used a 9-1 run to break open the game and take the lead for good. Indiana outscored 64-40 in the paint, and limited the Cavs top scorer, Collin Sexton, to just 7-of-26 shooting from the floor.
In all, six Pacers finished in double figures, as a new face finished as the team s top scorer. Former Butler University star Kelan Martin finished with a career-high 25 points off the bench– including 12 in the fourth quarter. He also hauled in seven rebounds – four on the offensive glass.
Monday, May 10, 2021 at 7:30 PM ET at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse
Matchup
After suffering a tough one-point overtime loss to the Washington Wizards, the Pacers (31-36) look to rebound against the struggling Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday night at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Indiana s magic number to clinch a spot in the Play-In Tournament is currently three.
Sitting at a record of 21-47, the Cavaliers are already mathematically eliminated from playoff contention. Cleveland s last victory came on April 21. In total, they have won just seven games since the All-Star break. To make matters worse, J.B. Bickerstaff s squad has been dealing with numerous injuries. On May 4, the team was granted a hardship exception by the NBA in order to acquire longtime veteran Anderson Varejao for roster depth purposes. On May 5, he appeared in his first NBA game since 2017.