For the first time since being traded from the Milwaukee Bucks to the Indiana Pacers on February 9, 2023, former Louisville star Jordan Nwora has entered the starting lineup for the blue and gold. Head Coach Rick Carlisle did not waste time in utilizing the 6-foot-8, 225-pound forward to his advantage. After patiently waiting for eight games coming off the bench, Jordan Nwora got to see the floor on opening tip-off two days ago against the Chicago Bulls.
Jordan Nwora enters the starting five.🔥 pic.twitter.com/tUb7LJYWDI
— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) March 5, 2023
In a matchup that went down to the wire, Indiana guard Tyrese Haliburton hit a game-winning shot with 2.7 seconds left in the game to cap off his 29-point, 11-assist performance. Nwora added 10 points of his own and shot 42.9% from the field. Haliburton and Nwora were joined by Myles Turner, Chris Duarte, Oshae Brissett, and Bennedict Mathurin as the six Pacers players who scored in double-digits.
The well-rounded Pacer effort was able to hold off Zach LaVine’s game-high 42 points and DeMar DeRozan’s 23-point outing. With this win, it gave the Pacers an overall record of 29-36 on the season, which nudges them right into the 12th spot in the Eastern Conference.
Appearing that Rick Carlisle was pleased with his performance, Jordan Nwora got the starting nod again for last night’s matchup against the Philadelphia 76ers.
A fight tooth-and-nail all the way to the end the Pacers hung with the dynamic duo of James Harden and Joel Embiid-led 76ers. The first half ended with a mere one-point deficit, which was the same way the first quarter ended. But, unfortunately the Pacers could not close it out and fell to 29-37.
Jordan Nwora finished the game with his second straight double-digit performance scoring 16 points off 58.3% shooting from the field. Tyrese Haliburton exploded for 40 points and Joel Embiid outmatched him scoring 42 points. James Harden had a quiet game of only 14 points, but his squad did come away with the win.
Either way, Jordan Nwora had produced as a fixture in the starting lineup for the past two games, so it will be exciting to see if the trend continues. As a member of the Milwaukee Bucks, he only started 23 out of 176 games, but he does play the same position as Giannis Antetokounmpo, one of the best players in the world so it makes sense why Mike Budenholzer brought him off the bench.
But, the gate is wide open in Indiana for him to make himself an every day starter for the Pacers and he is on the right track to doing just that.