Pacers & Pelicans Make It Past the QuarterFinals!

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        Many NBA fans, including myself, were not so sure about the In-Season Tournament but it has been very entertaining. First of all, credit to Adam Silver because this tournament has helped make the regular season look more competitive and that makes it very entertaining to watch as fans. We started the QuarterFinals with the Boston Celtics taking on the young high scoring Indiana Pacers. Celtics were the heavy favorites in this matchup but the Pacers did not back down. 



        Heading into this game the big question was how will the Pacers' defense look against the Celtics. Pacers are currently one of the worst defensive teams in the league and have heavily relied on winning games by outscoring their opponents. In this game we did see some improvements from the Pacers on the defensive end. The Pacers came out on top and advance to the In-Season Tournament SemiFinals (Pacers 122, Celtics 112) and they'll be heading to Vegas. 


        On the Celtics side, the player with the most impressive performance was Sam Hauser. Coming off the bench, the sharp shooting Forward went off scoring 15 points shooting 5 of 9 from the field (56%) and 5 of 7 from 3-point range (71%). On the Pacers side, the player with the most impressive performance was All-Star Tyrese Haliburton who recorded his first NBA triple-double. Haliburton scored 26 points along with 10 rebounds and 13 assists. The Pacers will head to Vegas on December 7th as they await the winner between the Milwaukee Bucks and New York Knicks. 


        The New Orlean Pelicans and the Sacramento Kings were also in action for the QuarterFinals of the In-Season Tournament. This game really had a playoff atmosphere feeling with the physicality and it even got chippy for a moment when Trey Lyles and Jonas Valanciunas had an altercation early in game. This game was very physical and competitive but in the end the Pelicans got out of Sacramento with a win (Pelicans 127, Kings 117) and will be heading to Vegas on December 7th. The Pelicans will match up in the SemiFinals against the winner between the Phoenix Suns and Los Angeles Lakers. 


        Zion Williamson had a quiet night but Brandon Ingram was on fire. Ingram scored 30 points along with 8 rebounds and 6 assists. This was a game full of runs but Ingram took over in the second half to help the Pelicans pull away. The Pelicans are finally near full strength and will advance to the In-Season Tournament SemiFinals. The In-Season Tournament continues tonight beginning with the Knicks taking on the Bucks at 7:30 PM EST and finishing with the Suns taking on the Lakers at 10:00 PM EST on TNT, the winners advance to the SemiFinals. 




Location: Miami, FL, USA

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