Inside Bennedict Mathurin and Isaiah Jackson's return to Indiana in wild Pacers-Clippers game

INDIANAPOLIS – The Pacers welcomed back Bennedict Mathurin and Isaiah Jackson on Friday night for the first time since the early-February trade that sent the pair to the LA Clippers. Ivica Zubac, the Pacers prize acquisition from that deal, was unavailable for the Pacers. That did nothing to subtract from the emotion that Jackson and Mathurin's return provided.

Before the game even started, both Clippers players were busy – not only with their typical pregame routines but also constant interjections and hellos from former teammates and staffers. Jackson walked on to the court early for his warmup and sat on the scorers table, first talking to Pacers guard Quenton Jackson before a long list of Pacers coaches and staffers stopped by to say hey.

Jenny Boucek gave him a long hug. Jim Boylen stopped for a hi. Micah Potter, who Jackson was loosely competing with for minutes at one point, gave him two huge high fives. That center group was always close.

Circle City Spin

The Indiana Pacers and Indiana Fever, up close

Circle City SpinTony East

Jackson was stopped by more players as he exited the court at the conclusion of his warmup. Meanwhile, on the other end floor, Mathurin was starting to get up shots as he got ready for action. The game was just over an hour away. Mathurin was locked in during the pregame session, rarely diverting his eyes away from the ball, the basket, or a Clippers assistant coach.

As he left the court, he dropped his focus for a moment and reconnected with many familiar faces. Mathurin stopped by the Pacers local broadcast, said hi to a local reporter, then walked into the tunnel to go back to LA's locker room.

He was stopped in that tunnel by a group of fans eager to get his autograph. Mathurin, a fan favorite with the Pacers, happily obliged. He put ink on game programs, an old selfie a fan took with him, his old 00 uniform, a rookie card, and other random items fans had on hand.

"Welcome back to Indy, Benn!" one fan shouted. "How do you like LA?" another one yelled. They were excited to see the Pacers highest draft pick since 1989 back in Indy.

"Isaiah is a great fit for how they play," Carlisle said pregame of Jackson with the Clippers. "Very happy for him. Benn's obviously had a great stretch with them."

During layup lines, Mathurin and Jackson largely operated as normal outside of Mathurin flicking in a left-handed jumper. When the teams went over to their benches before the National Anthem and player introductions, though, they were opposite the Pacers for the first time in Indianapolis. Both were coming off the bench, so they assumed their roles in the Clippers' pregame handshake line. Mathurin was at the front with Jackson two players behind him.

They sat next to each other on the far end of the bench during the first run of play. "Just being appreciative of being in the position that we are right now," Mathurin recalled of their conversation at the time. "Taking everything all in."

During the first stoppage in play, the Pacers played a tribute video for the two players on the jumbotron. Since neither player was currently checked into the game, it made it easy for them to take in the entire homage, including the crowd's reaction. Many stood and cheered. Darius Garland and John Collins, two Clippers starters, both clapped along and gave their teammates a strong handshake at the end of the video.

"It meant the world. Indy is like my first home. I was able to get drafted over here. Just being loved by the fans," Mathurin said. "I love the fans. I would say that they were the best fans in the world. Now, we have a different group of fans. It's all love."

Mathurin checked in soon after to more cheers. The Pacers responded with their own substitute: Andrew Nembhard, Mathurin's fellow 2022 draftee in Indy. Nembhard's rotation was different for this game. He subbed out earlier in the first and third quarters, then re-entered in the first period to cover Mathurin. (That changed in the second half after a Jarace Walker injury, more to come on that).

Nembhard guarded Mathurin tightly. It was a battle that had taken place in several practices over the years, and both players clearly had passion for it. Mathurin was struggling to get free and missed his first three shots but drew many fouls. Nembhard, of course, was defending well outside of those infractions – he left the game with just over one minute left in the first half due to foul trouble.

"I've been going to war every day for the past three years and a half with them," Mathurin said of going against the Pacers. On Nembhard specifically: "It was fun man. He was talking a lot of crap. I did pretty well for an off night... he couldn't guard me. That's why he got, how many fouls he got? He couldn't stop fouling me. It was the only way to stop me. But that's my guy, man... I consider him my brother."

Jackson checked in late in the first quarter and had a few clunky offensive possessions at first. But once he settled in, his defensive impact was felt and he was a force on the glass. The Clippers first surge, an important one after the Pacers took an early 24-point lead, came with Jackson's rebounding being a big factor. He left the game early with an ankle injury and finished with four points and four rebounds (three offensive).

Mathurin kept drawing fouls, and he had a few funny interactions with T.J. McConnell during the second half. "I don't know what's wrong with this guy," Mathurin said. "That's like my little brother," he added of McConnell, who is more than 10 years his senior. "He's gotta be at least 45. It was good to go against those guys."

Those moments with McConnell upped the intensity of a close game, which led to a dramatic finish. More on that momentarily. The Clippers fell behind early and needed more scoring from their bench, so Mathurin ended the night with 29:15 of playing time, more than two Clippers starters. His final stat line: 17 points and seven rebounds. It was a very Mathurin game in that he was the best rebounding guard for either team and lived at the foul line – despite shooting 2/8 from the field, he reached 17 points thanks to a 12/15 performance (including one intentional miss) at the stripe, as many attempts and one more make than the entire Pacers team.

He walked off the floor to big cheers, then stopped for a moment to say hello to John Haliburton, Tyrese's father. Through cheers from surrounding Pacers fans, he retreated to the Clippers locker room.

"Benn's found a home there," Carlisle said. "He's playing great. I was really happy for him and Isaiah. We haven't had a reception like that for a player or players in a while. It was very heartwarming. Benn looked like he really appreciated it."

It was an emotional day for many, and Mathurin's Clippers got the win in the end. The individual battles showed how Mathurin and his former teammates feel about their years together. Aaron Nesmith summed it up well and lovingly: "It was fun to compete against him," he said. "Always talk trash to Benn. Always. Wish him the best."

The insane ending to the game

On any other night, this would have been the leading story of the game. After Pascal Siakam missed a shot with about 10 seconds left and the Pacers leading by one point, the Clippers attempted to race ahead in transition and hit a game winner, but they were thwarted by good transition defense. LA took a timeout with three seconds left trailing 113-112.

Little did anyone know, there were still more than 11 minutes of real time coming before the game would end. It started fairly normal – the Clippers drew up a play to get star forward Kawhi Leonard the ball, and he dribbled to the elbow before drilling an incredible jumper over strong contests from both Nesmith and Jay Huff.

(Ignore me in that Tweet, the Clippers last lead before that shot was actually 11-8)

The Clippers, now up 114-113 with 0.4 to go, appeared to have the game in hand. Many fans left the arena. Yet there was still somehow a lot of basketball to be played. Critically, the Pacers still had two timeouts and used the first one after the Leonard shot to advance the ball.

Their only hope: lob the ball toward the rim and try to tip it in. Nembhard was the inbounder, and he chucked the ball at the basket and... it went through the net. That's not allowed. A turnover. Clippers ball, and they were up 114-113 with 0.4 to go. Naturally, even more fans left.

The Pacers still had a timeout and weren't giving up, so Nesmith fouled Mathurin instantly on the ensuing LA inbounds play. Somehow, no time ran off the clock, much to the dismay of the Clippers. Mathurin had two foul shots coming with a one-point lead and 0.4 seconds to go.

"Wild play. We just kind of made something happen at the end of the game," Nesmith said.

Mathurin missed the first foul shot and was instructed to miss the second one on purpose. Had that rebound been tipped, the game would end. But Siakam secured the board quickly with two hands, giving the Pacers the ball once again down by one point. This time, there was 0.3 on the clock.

They needed a miracle, and they got one. Nembhard inbounded the ball again, and Huff was fouled as he raced toward the rim in an attempt to tip it in. That meant two free throws for the Pacers big man with his team down one.

The nerves were palpable. Huff, an 82% free throw shooter this season, almost never takes foul shots which are that important. Statistics said at least one make was likely coming, but that much pressure makes the numbers irrelevant.

Huff missed the first, then received notes of encouragement from his teammates. A deep breath later, he took the second foul shot and... missed. The Pacers lost 114-113, dropping their record to 16-58.

Somehow in the final three seconds of the game, there were four possessions, a shot attempt, four free throw attempts, two rebounds, and two fouls. It took an eternity. The Pacers are known for wild finishes, but there might never be another one like that.

Huff walked over to the corner of the Pacers bench and tried to be alone for a moment, then walked back on the court to say good game to a few Clippers players. Yet he kept getting stopped by players from both teams who offered words of encouragement. Those are difficult free throws.

"A tough situation to be in," Obi Toppin, who played very well and played for more than 20 minutes for the first time since returning from injury, said of Huff. "It happens. Next game mentality. He's got to understand he puts in the work every single day. He can't be too down on himself."

Jarace Walker's head injury

With 7:37 on the game clock in the first quarter, Jarace Walker raced ahead in transition and threw down a powerful dunk. Collins tried to jump and stop the shot but fouled Walker in the air, leading to a hard fall.

Walker's head hit the hardwood, and it was a loud landing. It could be heard well in the building, even from the media seating. The young forward stayed down under the basket with his hands over his head for several moments before finally standing up to applause.

Walker was fouled and wanted to take the free throws so he could eventually return to the game. That rule doesn't apply for head evaluations, though, so Nesmith stepped to the stripe and took a free throw while Walker went deep into Gianbridge Fieldhouse to be evaluated. He never returned to the bench and was ruled out at halftime as he was being looked at for a concussion.

It was a big loss for the Pacers. One more body on the wing to throw at Leonard or Mathurin would have won them the game. "Pretty significant. He's been playing very well of late," Carlisle said when asked about the significance of the mid-game Walker exit.

Then, he added more on the injury. "I don't know that he's going to be in concussion protocol... we'll see what's what on Sunday," he said. That's when the Pacers next play, they host Miami that afternoon in Indy.

That game won't be as emotional and almost certainly won't have as dramatic of a finish. But it will be another test for a Pacers team playing better of late. They'll put their best foot forward once again.

Thank you for reading. I hope you enjoyed the behind-the-scenes peak into an eventful game/night. Subscribe to have stories like these sent straight to your email inbox.