Indiana Pacers coach Rick Carlisle finally got to celebrate win No. 1,000 on Thursday after his team set the franchise’s NBA-era record with 13 consecutive losses.
Carlisle waited a month to become the 11th NBA coach to reach the milestone when the Pacers won 114-112 against the Charlotte Hornets.
He is the first coach to join the group since Doc Rivers in November 2021.
Photo: AP
All it took was for the Pacers to score the final five points in the closing minute against the Hornets.
For Carlisle, the prevailing emotion was relief.
“I’m so happy for our players,” said Carlisle, who hugged his assistants and players after the win. “The last month has been so challenging in so many ways. We have an amazing group of guys who continue to fight through thick and thin.”
As tough as the past month has been, Thursday was excruciating for Carlisle.
Pacscal Siakam scored on a driving layup with 11.5 seconds left and T.J. McConnell stole the ensuing inbounds pass, but Ben Shepard made just one of two free throws, giving the Hornets a chance to tie or win.
Charlotte’s Collin Sexton missed a jumper to tie the game in the final seconds.
“Pascal Siakam is one of the most amazing players I have been around and he put his stamp on things at the end,” Carlisle said.
Carlisle’s injury-depleted Pacers lost in seemingly every possible way — embarrassing blowouts, crushing fourth-quarter collapses, giving away leads late.
On Thursday, they finally found an answer — as Carlisle’s teams often do.
He has succeeded as a coach because he never lowered his standards, always expecting to compete for championships. That unrelenting approach helped him forge a lifelong friendship with Larry Bird and persuaded three teams to hire him as a head coach.
He won a championship with the Dallas Mavericks in 2011.
Elsewhere on Thursday, it was:
‧ Jazz 116, Mavericks 114
‧ T’wolves 131, Cavaliers 122
‧ Bulls, Heat postponed
Manchester United on Tuesday confirmed Michael Carrick as interim manager until the end of the season, tasking him with leading the Red Devils back into the UEFA Champions League. “Having the responsibility to lead Manchester United is an honor,” said Carrick, 44, who won 12 major trophies in his 12-year playing career at United. The former midfielder previously had an unbeaten three-game stint as caretaker boss at Old Trafford in 2021. Carrick then took on his first permanent managerial role at second-tier Middlesbrough in October 2022 and was sacked in June last year after the club finished 10th in the
James Harden on Friday scored 31 points and came up big in overtime to help the Los Angeles Clippers erase a double-digit deficit on the way to a 121-117 NBA victory over the Toronto Raptors. Harden scored 16 points in the fourth quarter and overtime as the Clippers pushed their wining steak to five games despite the absence of star Kawhi Leonard with a sprained right ankle. The Clippers trailed by 11 entering the fourth quarter, but Harden drilled a pair of free-throws with 1:24 left in regulation to tie it and after misses from both teams, they went to
Dallas Mavericks rookie Cooper Flagg on Wednesday was ruled out for the second half of their 118-109 loss to the Denver Nuggets after the No. 1 pick sprained his left ankle in the first half. Flagg was called for a foul while defending against Peyton Watson and turned the ankle as he fell to the floor with 6 minutes, 1 second left in the second quarter. Flagg limped to the bench and continued to the locker room, but returned for the final 2 minutes, 35 seconds before the break. The 19-year-old did not come out for the second half before the announcement that
Yassine Bounou on Wednesday saved two penalties, while Youssef en-Nesyri netted the decisive spot-kick as hosts Morocco secured a 4-2 shoot-out victory over Nigeria following a 0-0 draw in a tense Africa Cup of Nations semi-final in Rabat. Morocco, seeking their first continental title in 50 years, are to face 2021 winners Senegal in Sunday’s decider in Rabat, while Nigeria take on Egypt in the third-place playoff tomorrow. The 120 minutes before the shoot-out had few clear-cut chances for either side, but it was Morocco who created more opportunities, although they were denied by some fine saves from Nigeria goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali. Nigeria
RSS