The Indiana Pacers are ready to embark on a three-game road trip and are currently on a 5-game losing streak. 

Tonight, they face the team off to the hottest start in the NBA with a 6-1 record: the Memphis Grizzlies. This has been a massive surprise with expectations much lower for a younger Grizzlies roster entering the year, but their depth, incredible play from Ty Jerome and buying into Tuomas Iisalo’s system has set them up nicely to get off to a strong start. 

Indiana on the other hand, is off to an incredibly slow start, thanks to the numerous amount of injuries…but this list seems to be shrinking. 

Here are three things to watch for in tonight’s matchup against Memphis. 

1). Will Ivica Zubac Return? Center Depth and Matchup

After missing the last five games with an ankle sprain, the Pacers big man has been upgraded from out to questionable. It should be worth noting that Indiana has lost all five games since Zubac has been sidelined. 

This says two things about the Pacers: Zubac is an irreplaceable piece in the rotation and the backup center options aren’t strong enough to make up for his production. 

If the big man makes his return, he will have a physical matchup with Braden Smith’s former teammate, Zach Edey. The battle of the giants will be a fun wrinkle to watch in the game, but expect a minutes restriction on Big Zu as he works his way back into playing again. 

Isaiah Stewart is Edey’s backup and he’s given Indiana problems before. He’s a strong player that has a physical presence on both ends of the floor. He’s shooting the ball well from three (8-14 on the season for 57%) and has played around 19 minutes per game. It will be interesting to see if Carlisle elects to guard him with Huff or Nance, or if they play smaller with Toppin at the five (assuming he is healthy to play). 

2). Pascal Siakam vs. Cameron Boozer 

This will be a fun power forward matchup to watch for multiple reasons. 

Last season the Pacers were positioning themselves for a top-four pick and Cameron Boozer was a name often discussed as a potential fit for the Pacers. Unfortunately the lottery balls decided to keep Indiana out of drafting a generational talent, but if Indiana had remained in the top four, who knows which way they would’ve leaned. 

The skilled forward has been lighting it up this season with 17.7 points, 10.3 rebounds, 5.6 assists and nearly 1 block per game in approximately 32 minutes of play. He is shooting a poor 38.5% from the field, but is connecting on 37.2% of three-point shots and 94.4% of his free throws. 

Standing opposite the young forward is the veteran Siakam. The All-NBA forward is averaging 21 points per game with 7.4 rebounds and 4.0 assists. He’s still shooting 50% from the field, but after a dreadful 0-10 shooting slump from outside last week, his three-point percentage dropped from over 50% to 28.6%. 

At one point, there were discussions about how Boozer could potentially be Siakam’s replacement had Indiana selected him in the draft. Now, the two will square off against each other for the first time ever, in what is expected to be a fun head-to-head matchup. 

3). MVP Candidate Ty Jerome?

During the Pacers’ 2025 NBA playoff run, Jerome’s chances of re-signing with the Cavaliers all but faded after the Pacers played him out of the rotation by Game 5. He struggled to make shots and his defense was as poor as it had ever been. 

This allowed for the Grizzlies to swoop in and sign him to a much cheaper deal than he expected to get in the offseason after a strong regular season in 2024-25. Last year, he played in just 15 games for the Grizzlies as he battled injuries all season, but has come out firing this year. 

Shooting 50.4% from the field, 42.1% from three and 88.6% from the free throw line, this man has been unstoppable on the offensive end. He’s averaging 28.2 points per game, while dishing out 5.5 assists and generating 1.2 steals. He’s already  had two games scoring 40 or more points, and he is doing it while playing around 30 minutes per game. 

Andrew Nembhard will have his hands full with Jerome, but there’s a reason why he’s one of the best defenders at the guard spot in the NBA. Portland was able to contain Jerome earlier this season by limiting him to just 10 points on 3-12 shooting, so hopefully Nembhard and the coaching staff can find certain defensive techniques and schemes to slow down the Grizzlies engine. 

Where To Watch 

You can watch tonight’s game on the Pacers Streaming service of DAZN or on NBA League Pass. 

The radio broadcast will be aired on 93.5 and 107.5 The Fan and can also be heard on NBA League Pass. 

Tonight’s game tips at 8:00 PM EST. 

You can follow me on X @AlexGoldenNBA and listen to my daily podcast, Setting The Pace, wherever you get your podcasts.