The Indiana Pacers (6-18) secured their fourth win in six games with a 116-105 victory against the Sacramento Kings (6-18) on December 9.
Here are the key stats and the top performers of the game:
BEST PLAYER OF THE GAME:
Andrew Nembhard IND SG 28 PTS | 12 AST | 2 STL | 53.8 FPS
Nembhard orchestrated the offense perfectly and finished with a season-best in assists. He’s been very productive this month, averaging 20 points on 53.7% shooting from the field with 8.0 assists and 1.3 steals.
BREAKOUT PERFORMANCE:
Russell Westbrook SAC PG 24 PTS | 12 REB | 14 AST | 65.4 FPS
Russ had a brilliant offensive performance, shooting 60% from the field for just the third time this season and finishing with his fifth 20-point outing. He also notched his fourth triple double this year and the 207th of his career.
SCORING MACHINES:
Pascal Siakam IND PF 23 PTS | 5 REB | 4 AST | 39.0 FPS
Siakam has stayed consistent on offense, putting up 23 points in six-straight games and in eight of his last nine.
DeMar DeRozan SAC SF 20 PTS | 5 REB | 3 AST | 32.5 FPS
DeRozan finished with his 9th 20-point game of the season.
STAT SPECIALIST:
Keegan Murray SAC PF 8 PTS | 11 REB | 2 AST | 21.0 FPS
Murray notched his third double-digit rebound game in his last five. But he came up empty on the defensive end, after averaging 4.6 stocks in his previous five games.
DEFENSIVE STANDOUT:
Jay Huff IND C 8 PTS | 7 REB | 4 BLK | 36.4 FPS
Huff has been a force on defense, finishing with his second-straight game with 2 steals while averaging 3.4 blocks in his last ten outings.
THE SHARPSHOOTER:
Benedict Mathurin IND SF 25 PTS | 4-9 3PT | 6 REB | 37.2 FPS
Mathurin finished with his second-straight 25-point, 5-rebound performance. He’s been on target from deep this month, going 14-for-27 in four games.
THE X-FACTOR:
Isaiah Jackson IND C 7 REB | 3 STL | 2 BLK | 21.4 FPS
Jackson came up big on defense, finishing with a 5-rebound performance for the 13th time and also recording at least 3 stocks for the ninth time this season.
PLAYER TO WATCH:
Precious Achiuwa SAC C 11 PTS | 2 STL | 2 BLK | 32.0 FPS
Precious posted a double-digit category production for the fourth-straight game and also added multiple blocks for the second time and multiple steals for the third time this season.
BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT OF THE GAME:
Zach LaVine SAC SG 16 PTS | 2 REB | 3 AST
LaVine delivered a season-high 42 points and 8 three-pointers in their win against the Heat. But he slowed down today, finishing with a subpar overall performance.
