Kings vs. Pacers Preview – By the Numbers

January 18, 2024

The Kings return home for two quick games, starting with the new-look Pacers, just minus the new look and down a few other key pieces as well. The Pacers will be without Tyrese Haliburton and are 3-4 in the 7 games Tyrese has missed so far this year. Bennedict Mathurin, Aaron Nesmith, and Obi Toppin are all questionable as well, leaving this game up in the air in terms of the final matchup.

Either way, this team can score. They lead the league with a 121.6 Offensive Rating, but are at 27th on defense with a 119.5 Defensive Rating. Much like the Kings last year, they do all of their damage on one side of the ball. What they do so well is pass the ball as a team, leading the league with 31.0 Assists per game.

They are one of the few teams that generates more Wide-Open looks beyond the arc than the Kings. Sacramento takes 22.5 Wide-Open 3’s per game, 4th most in the league. The Pacers are at 23.6, leading the NBA. What works so well for them is that they are making them at a 40.3% clip. Almost everyone on the Pacers roster can knock down the 3, so the Kings will have to be ready to get out and defend the perimeter tonight.

Speaking of defending the perimeter, Buddy Hield will likely be out for revenge tonight. He’s averaging 12.7 Points, 3.2 Rebounds, and 2.4 Assists on 44.1/38.0/85.7% shooting splits. We all know Buddy can get going at anytime, with the phrase ‘It just takes one’ stuck in our heads for eternity.

While the Pacers can score with the best of them, their defensive stats leave a ton of openings for the Kings to take advantage of. They give up 123.5 Points per game, 2nd most on a league high 50.2% from the field and 38.0% from deep, 8th highest.

Indiana leads the league with 57.2 Points in the Paint per game, but give up a league high 60.4 inside points per game. The Kings for reference, score 51.1 (13th) and give up 50.2 (17th).

That officially makes Points in the Paint a back-to-back Swing Stat. The Pacers opponents are shooting 31.3 Field Goals in the Restricted Area per game, most in the league. Teams are able to get inside as much as they want against this team, and the Kings have been great at scoring inside as of late. In their last 6 games, they are shooting 71.4% in the Restricted Area on 29.2 attempts per game. For reference, the Bucks lead the league with a 71.6% at the rim.

A large part of that is thanks to Domantas Sabonis. In the 6-game stretch, Domas has gone 40-of-48 (83.3%) in the Restricted Area. It’s not like these are all easy dunks either. Sabonis in on one in almost every facet of the game, but when he gets going inside, he’s nearly unstoppable.