Pacers post-trade battle with Clippers was emotional, Mathurin helps LA win in blowout

LOS ANGELES – The first game between NBA teams after a trade is always emotional, and Pacers-Clippers last night was no different. Bennedict Mathurin and Isaiah Jackson, two Pacers draftees, were both playing against Indiana for the first time. Kobe Brown, a former Clippers first rounder, was in the visitors locker room at the Intuit Dome. Ivica Zubac wasn't playing but was back in the arena where he grew from young unknown to top-10 center.

Zubac and Brown had their lockers well-decordated with balloons and photos before the game, a visual sign that this wasn't just another game. Jackson and Mathurin didn't get the same treatment, but they still knew. Between the constant familiar faces, there were always reminders of the past.

"We miss him," Clippers head coach Ty Lue said of Zubac pregame. "[He's] a great guy and we miss him."

Circle City Spin

The Indiana Pacers and Indiana Fever, up close

Circle City SpinTony East

Zubac didn't play, and the Pacers could have used him. Their defense, as it has been often since the All-Star break, was concerning. Despite several aspects of defense being a focus during weekend practice time, the Pacers couldn't stop the Clippers and gave up 130-plus points for the fifth time in six games.

Pascal Siakam, Aaron Nesmith, and Andrew Nembhard all returned from injury, yet the blue and gold still could not get stops. LA posted 30 points in the paint in just the first quarter and had 40 total points in the frame, the 10th 40-plus point quarter conceded by the Pacers this season. "We'll look at the film. It was certainly presence," Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said of his team's defensive issues in the game. He fell on the sword for his players. "This [arena] is almost like a college atmosphere and you've got to be ready. We were not ready, and I'll take my share of the blame for that. I've got to get these guys more ready to play on Friday night."

Siakam did his thing on offense with 29 points on just 14 shot attempts. Jay Huff was efficient on his way to 18 points, and Jarace Walker dominated after the result was decided on his way to 17. Some good things did happen for the Pacers on offense.

But they largely struggled with energy and defense in the 130-107 loss. It's the seventh-straight defeat for the Pacers, who haven't won since the All-Star break. They need to be better and will hope to Friday. But Wednesday's game was more about emotions than basketball.

Bennedict Mathurin battles Pacers and talks trade

All was normal for Mathurin during his pregame warmup at first. He mixed in threes with some off-the-dribble floaters and was locked in – airpods blaring and his agent sitting courtside.

With just a few minutes left in this get-loose session, a hand rose up to contest one of his practice shots. Mathruin was undeterred at first and let it fly. He watched the shot all the way to the net, then looked to see who just tried to swat his jumper.

It was none other than Pacers assistant coach Jim Boylen. The two high fived quickly, then hugged for a moment before Boylen retreated to the tunnels on the Pacers side of the facility. Mathurin finished his warmup before chatting with an assistant coach for a few moments. Darius Garland took his place on the court.

Typically, players would then go back into their locker room to finish pregame prep. Mathurin stayed on the court. His next 10 or so minutes were all about seeing the people that defined the first 3.5 seasons of his NBA career.

His first stop was hugging television analyst Quinn Buckner. Jeremiah Johnson and Chris Denari were greeted next. Basketball coordinators came over to chat with Mathurin, then Pascal Siakam interrupted his own warmup to hug his former teammate.

A front office member, communications staffer, and social media guru all had a moment with Mathurin. And this was pregame. Even while many had work to do or an upcoming match to focus on, they wanted to spend time catching up with Mathurin. His pregame routine was full of reunions.

"It felt great, man," Mathurin said of going against the Pacers. "It felt great, especially to win."

He came off the bench and didn't even reach 22 minutes for Los Angeles. But when Mathurin was on the court, he was extremely effective. Various former teammates spent time defending the new Clipper, including Ben Sheppard, Siakam, and Nesmith. Mathurin attacked them all.

He led the Clippers in made two-point shots (seven) and free throw attempts (seven). Mathurin added eight rebounds and four assists. His passion was obvious, and his strengths were on display. He topped everyone on either team with a plus-minus of +32 and finished with 23 points.

"This is a good situation for him," Carlisle said postgame. "He's an NBA scorer. How many times do I need to say it? He came out of the womb with 20 points. Seriously, that's a compliment. That's how easily he scores."

The Pacers parting with Mathurin shows their belief in Zubac and his ability to be the missing final piece for the healthy group. But Mathurin is clearly talented, and he's now showing that for the Clippers. A mid-tempo system suits him well, and he's providing youth to an older team led by Kawhi Leonard.

It is, as Carlisle noted, a great spot for Mathurint to be. The 23-year old discussed the trade postgame at his locker – starting with me asking him how it felt to be moved.

"You want the PR answer or the real answer?" he began. I was hoping for the real one but knew what was coming.

"It was tough. It was tough for sure. I've been in Indy for like [three and a half years], you know? So everything I know is kind of based off of Indy, whether it's just the lifestyle, on the court, off the court," he said. "But I mean, it was good. It was definitely worth it – the change of scenery and also the change of organization. I said earlier that I was super grateful to be part of both, two great parties. It's been fun, man. It's been fun out here so far. My teammates have embraced me a lot, and I wouldn't trade it for anything."

Mathurin had many close relationships in Indiana. He and Andrew Nembhard, 2022 draftees, chatted for nearly a full minute at center court after Pacers-Clippers. T.J. McConnell, another Arizona grad, was his vet early in his career. You could see his relationship with Quenton Jackson during the game, the two loved competing one-on-one and got along well.

Those relationships are not gone, but distanced by the trade. For Mathurin's basketball future, though, the deal could work out great. The pace change and new environment is already paying dividends. "I definitely think this team (the Clippers) fits me a little bit more. Not to down what they have going on in Indy. I mean, they have great coaches, great systems," Mathurin said. "Just sometimes, it doesn't always work... I'm super happy that I'm in LA and I get the chance to show people who I am."

So far, he's averaging 19.2 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game for his new team. The Clippers are 5-4 with Mathurin in the lineup.

When it came to Mathurin and his fit with Indiana, there was always some good and bad. His natural strengths and the team's style of play were never a perfect match. At times, they worked very well together. Other times, the Pacers system alone overwhelmed opponents. In between, on occasion, spreading out and letting Mathurin attack was the best way for the Pacers to win.

After a win over the Brooklyn Nets in late March of 2025, Carlisle framed it well. "We've got to work at melding his strengths with the things that our team needs to do to make it really work for him and for our team," he said of Mathurin.

That became a near constant discussion across Mathurin's final years with the Pacers. Now that he's somewhere else, I asked him to reflect on all of the discussions of fit. "I just think that's the fans. Let the fans do the talk," he said. "At the end of the day, I'm the one being on the court. So I'm doing everything out there I could do in my powers to help my team win... It's always gonna be something, you know what I'm saying? Even here, it ain't going to be perfect."

He has always understood the need to do what is asked of him despite obvious natural gifts, particularly as a scorer. And of course, Mathurin tossed in an "Aaron [Nesmith] cannot guard me," when asked about one of his cuts to the basket during the game. He's in a new place, but he's still the same competitive guy at the end of the day and showed it in his first-ever game against the Pacers.

Isaiah Jackson, too

Don't forget Isaiah Jackson, who also was drafted by the Pacers and spent 5.5 seasons with the franchise. He wasn't needed as a third-string center for the Pacers on his current contract, so moving him made sense even if it wasn't a requirement.

Entering Wednesday, he had just three appearances for the Clippers and just 13.5 total minutes of action. But in Pacers-Clippers, LA's backup center (Yanic Niederhäuser) went down with a foot injury in the second quarter. Jackson was suddenly needed.

He played for 18:24, more than he had in total with his new team entering the game. And Jackson was productive – he and Mathurin linked up multiple times as Jackson finished with 10 points, four rebounds, and three blocks.

He, too, spent some one-on-one time with many former teammates and staffers postgame. He also got in a short chat with Huff during the game, the Pacers center rotation became close during the season.

"It was definitely a surreal feeling. It was bittersweet in a way," Jackson said of going against the Pacers. "It was still fun to be playing against [those] guys, and got a dub. So I got bragging rights now."

He admitted that he was caught off guard by the trade, especially since it was his first time getting dealt in the NBA. But he, like Mathurin, believes he's in a better situation now. While he's currently outside of the Clippers rotation, he's one of the few young guys on an older team and has a chance to earn playing time behind Brook Lopez, or even alongside other bigs as he occasionally did for the Pacers.

Jackson, after being asked by Dustin Dopirak of the Indianapolis Star, recalled being told about the move by the Pacers front office. "When it happened, [the front office] sat me down in the office and like I said, it caught me off guard a little bit. I sort of knew that it was gonna happen, but it definitely caught me off guard. But like I said, I'm happy to be a Clipper."

Kobe Brown and Ivica Zubac welcomed back

It was, as mentioned above, a homecoming for Zubac and Brown. During the first stoppage in the first quarter, the halo in the Intuit Dome showed a message welcoming back Kobe Brown before rolling into Zubac's tribute video.

Brown was greeted by Clippers owner Steve Ballmer for a short conversation postgame, and while he struggled to catch on in a catch-and-shoot role with Los Angeles, he clearly still left a mark on players and coaches. Now with the Pacers, Brown can explore more of his skill set.

Zubac's first game with the Clippers was February 9, 2019. His last game was February 2 of this year, almost exactly seven trips around the sun. That's a long tie in the NBA – Tyrese Haliburton was still in college when Zubac made his Clippers debut.

His tribute video had memories from that long stint with the Clippers, including highlights from his 31 point, 29 rebound game against the Pacers. Wiz Khalifa's "See You Again" played in the background. When the video ended, Zubac waved to the crowd and was met by a mixture of cheering, clapping, and fans yelling "Zuuuuuu!"

He has yet to appear for the Pacers, but the team will hope he can solve some of the team's ongoing defensive issues. In the meantime, he got to return to the arena in which he grew from a young, inexperienced big man to an All-Defense level talent. And he'll return, with the Pacers, to his first-ever team on Friday.

Thank you for reading. I hope you enjoy the many details from the arena last night. For more, sign up for Circle City Spin below – these stories will be sent straight to your email inbox.