Entries by Mateo Mayorga

Mateo’s Hoop Diary: “I’m going to be all over the film”: The Pacers dropped Game 5 in New York

The Pacers were outhustled and outmuscled, plus Jalen Brunson turned into Rambo in Game 5, shifting the series back to Indiana. He scored 32 digits on 66.7% shooting, which included a 16-point blaze in the third quarter on blow-bys and jumpers.   Coach Rick Carlisle said his team didn’t play with the force needed, and […]

Mateo’s Hoop Diary: Haliburton’s historic night leads the Pacers to a 3-1 lead over the Knicks

Tyrese Haliburton’s signature performance- 32 points, 15 assists, 12 rebounds and zero giveaways- propelled the Pacers to a 3-1 lead in the Eastern Conference Finals. He became the first player since turnovers were recorded (1977-78) to put up such a mammoth stat line. The Knicks will try holding them off in Game 5, but they […]

Mateo’s Hoop Diary: Pacers take first blood in the Eastern Conference Finals behind a wild comeback fueled by Nesmith, Haliburton and Nembhard

The Pacers got their fifth road win of the playoffs after they were close to flatlining when the Knicks were up 14 points with three minutes left. Jalen Brunson picked up his fifth foul early in the fourth frame, but his crew had taken over with deep jumpers plus a barrage of inside action as […]

Mateo’s Hoop Diary: The five best things about opening weekend in the WNBA

The WNBA’s opening weekend kicked off and there was no shortage of high-level entertainment. There were record-setting nights, DeWanna Bonner moved past Tina Thompson for third all-time in WNBA regular-season scoring and the number one pick Paige Bueckers was ordinary in her debut against the Lynx.   Notably, the Valkyries’ first ever home game had […]