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Explain One Play: How Bennedict Mathurin takes up residence in "Omaha"
🕑 Added 2025-03-22 00:16:45 +0000 UTCWho needs March Madness when you have the Pacers, amirite?
By: Caitlin Cooper I @C2_Cooper
It appears that the Pacers will never play a normal basketball game again. After making three game-winning threes in the span of nine days, Indiana's 105-99 win over the Brooklyn Nets once again came down to late-game heroics. This time, with Bennedict Mathurin throwing the Pacers a line at the free throw line, as he stoically knocked down three free throws with 14 seconds left in regulation to tie the game at 91-91, resulting in overtime.
Other than being salvaged by incredible shot-making, whether from Obi Toppin pulling the pin from a grenade after being hammer screened into the corner or with Andrew Nembhard spotting up from his "lucky spot," something else that each of these last three wins, sans Tyrese Haliburton, have in common is the variety by which Mathurin has scored out of the same action -- including on the play that led to him leading the Pacers to overtime.
Here's how he takes up residence in "Omaha."
It was a telling sequence in Minnesota. While Anthony Edwards was at the free throw line, Rick Carlisle could be heard calling out "Omaha" from the sidelines. After the second of two free throws went through the net, Mathurin responded by motioning for Obi Toppin to head the other way, signaling that he would inbound the ball as the trailer. To that point, the third-year scoring guard was just 2-of-11 from the field and had stalled out a few possessions in the first half -- jabbing here, there, and everywhere -- while trying to make a move from a standstill. As a result, the Pacers made the move to get him moving. With T.J. McConnell dribbling up the left side of the floor and Mathurin approaching from the right, the play is triggered by a quick and simple slot-to-slot flip, as Mathurin crosses from behind, looking for a downhill attack. Or, in this case, with Mathurin's defender sliding under the flip action or high hand-off, an in-rhythm, pull-up three.
On the subsequent trip down the floor, when the Timberwolves went zone, things weren't quite as fluid. The Pacers weren't expecting the change in coverage, so they were a bit disorganized as they attempted to pivot from a play they would run against man to their typical, swirling zone buster. In essence, once the play was broken, the group that was on the floor struggled to keep playing, with Thomas Bryant ultimately committing a live-ball turnover after attempting to throw an overhead pass off-the-dribble to Mathurin in the paint. They were ready the next time. When Minnesota dropped back into the zone yet again following a made free throw, the Pacers automatically went to their motion action, and Mathurin scored at the rim, gliding to the basket with a ball-fake and his deceptive footwork.
That's the dichotomy with Mathurin. He's generally more dynamic and decisive when he can choose his own adventure, with the benefit of a map and compass guiding his path, than when he has to play off-the-grid, making reads at random.
Two nights later, when they were trailing 112-101 to an ultra-small version of the Dallas Mavericks with under six minutes to play in the fourth quarter, the Pacers effectively asked Mathurin to transform into an all-terrain vehicle, playing out of drive-and-kick, in an attempt to generate traction again a center-less lineup that was stymying the Haliburton-less offense with switches.
Again, the word "Omaha" echoed from the sidelines. And again, Mathurin got rolling downhill. Except, rather than stepping into a shot against the under or building a head of steam with his defender leaning in the opposite direction, he countered for the switch with a more methodical backdown, twisting and twirling his way into drawing a foul out of a bully drive.
Notably, even though he started to lose the handle, he never actually lost the handle, because the entire side of the floor was empty for him to manufacture points. Also, if his method of attack there looks familiar, it's probably because "Omaha" isn't exclusive only to Mathurin. It's also called frequently for Pascal Siakam, including in that very game, when the lanky forward got the better of Dwight Powell two times in a row, both with a turnaround jump-shot and a pull-up three. That sequence obviously isn't the only reason why the Mavericks ultimately went small, but it speaks to the ability of Siakam, like Mathurin, to attack in a variety of ways with a quick flip against a variety of match-ups.
That's why, when the Pacers were down three with less than 30 seconds to play against the Brooklyn Nets, this was the signal from the sidelines.
The letter "O" for "Omaha." Sure enough, there was Mathurin, once again receiving the slot-to-slot flip from Nembhard.
The penetration angle from the initial ball-handler is everything. If that player doesn't dribble north-south at the receiver's match-up, then it becomes easier to point switch or merely stay home without dropping back. In that case, rather than attacking downhill, Mathurin ended up having to create space for his jump-shot, which was invaded, resulting in a foul on the closeout.
By the start of overtime, after he had made all three free throws with a steely gaze, Mathurin had scored 11 of the team's last 14 points, and he was treated as such.
When Aaron Nesmith tried to hand him the ball at the wing, he was denied.
When Turner screened for him, two defenders committed to the ball.
And even when he was just standing with the ball, far outside the three-point line, he was blitzed.
For frame of reference, per Second Spectrum, among the 112 players in the NBA with at least 100 isolations, Mathurin ranks 81st in the percentage of those in which he has been doubled, at just 0.54 percent. Without Haliburton available to pull and tug at the defense, more of the attention went to Mathurin, requiring him to make plays at the other end of the floor in order to shake loose in transition while also relying on his teammates to attack into the tilted coverage and draw fouls against a team that was more than willing to oblige, ranking 28th in opponent free throw attempt rate.
Overall, it was the third game in a row that featured late-game heroics, and it was the third game in a row in which a different hero emerged. On this night, in combination with the lightning rod that was Myles Turner, both with his defense at the rim and as a somewhat unexpected sparkplug following Nembhard's ejection, it was Mathurin. Not only in extending the game with his residency in "Omaha," but also in expanding his game after he started being defended like a first option in response to "Omaha," playing the part of hero without doubling down on hero-ball when he was doubled.
Comments
Caitlin Cooper
The answer is different with regard to both players. Nembhard has more of the ball when Haliburton is out, and to be fair, he had some rough patches in Atlanta. As for Mathurin, they were able to call sets for him or call for him simply to put his head down, in part, due to the opponent. Philly was small and switching. Brooklyn was also doing a lot of switching. These are also both lottery teams missing key players. He bailed them out, but I'm not sure that meshes with the team's overall play-style, particularly during closing time, unless he really has it going (i.e. against the Wizards.) Wrote about the Haliburton-Mathurin dynamic in more detail here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/on-bennedict-his-122170731
מארק בנון
It is a different style of game and different expectations from Nembhard and Mathurin when Tyresse is playing. So these games lately were giving an opportunity for others to take responsibility.
Norma
I think these wins... with different people coming through in right games will be super beneficial for the playoffs
James T Sandberg
So why do mathurin and nembhard seem to play better without Tyrese? It’s not like Omaha isn’t called with Ty in the game, and per your analysis there should be even more opened up for them given Ty’s gravity. And yet, for some reason it feels like these other two guards shine brighter on these nights where Ty is either hurt or limited.
