Wheat Hotchkiss
NBA.com
Indianapolis, IN, United States
Contact Wheat
Discover and connect with journalists and influencers around the world, save time on email research, monitor the news, and more.
| Recent: |
|
| Past: |
|
Past articles by Wheat:
International Flavor to Final Pre-Draft Workout
The Pacers hosted their sixth and final pre-draft workout on Tuesday morning, putting six more prospects through drills at the St. Vincent Center two days before the 2018 NBA Draft. Butler's Kelan Martin garnered most of the local media attention in a workout filled primarily with wing players. → Read More
Japan Watching as Watanabe Chases NBA Dream
Yuta Watanabe is far from a household name in America. In fact, only the most ardent college basketball fans might know the 6-9 guard, who spent four years in relative anonymity playing for a George Washington team that never finished better than fifth in the Atlantic 10. But in his home country of Japan, Watanabe is a really big deal. How big? His nickname is "The Chosen One." → Read More
Plenty of Scoring Punch in First Pre-Draft Workout
Two weeks before the 2018 NBA Draft, the Pacers hosted their first pre-draft workout at the St. Vincent Center, welcoming six prospects to Indianapolis for drills and testing. In years past, the team would have already held several workouts by this time, but the pre-draft process has changed somewhat this year, with many agencies holding pro days for players in the weeks following the NBA Draft… → Read More
Game Preview: Pacers at Cavaliers (Game 7)
Matchup It all comes down to this. After splitting six games in a back-and-forth, physical first-round series, the Pacers and Cavaliers will meet one final time on Sunday afternoon in a winner-take-all Game 7 in Cleveland. For Indiana, it will be their second straight game facing elimination, but if Friday's performance is any indication, they should be up for the challenge. The Pacers delivered… → Read More
Game Preview: Pacers at Nuggets
Matchup Riding high after yet another road win, the Pacers (46-31) will attempt to sweep their four-game Western Conference road trip on Tuesday, when they square off against the Nuggets (42-35) in Denver. The Pacers have won five straight games overall, including three consecutive road contests, picking up wins at Golden State, Sacramento, and the Clippers. Indiana has not swept a road trip of… → Read More
Game Rewind: Pacers 111, Clippers 104
Game Recap With the Pacers nursing a one-point lead with 3:24 to play, Lance Stephenson drove along the left baseline and rose up for a dunk. Clippers All-Star center DeAndre Jordan shoved Stephenson to the ground and — after a quick video review — was given a flagrant foul. After Stephenson knocked down one of two free throws, the Pacers kept the ball and Jordan got switched onto Victor… → Read More
Game Rewind: Pacers 106, Kings 103
Game Recap The Sacramento Kings were eliminated from playoff contention a long time ago, but they provided a formidable challenge to the playoff-bound Pacers on Thursday night. The Pacers, however, have one thing the Kings do not — an All-Star. Victor Oladipo rose to the occasion down the stretch, scoring 13 of Indiana's final 19 points to lift the Pacers (45-31) to a 106-103 win over Sacramento… → Read More
Game Rewind: Pacers 109, Clippers 104
Game Recap The Pacers' magic number is down to one. After gutting out a 109-104 win over the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday night at Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Indiana (42-31) needs just one more win or Pistons loss to clinch a playoff berth. That could happen as soon as Saturday if Detroit loses to Chicago. If not, the Pacers can take care of business themselves by beating Miami on Sunday at The… → Read More
Game Rewind: Pacers 99, Raptors 106
Game Recap Al Jefferson turned back the clock on Thursday night at Bankers Life Fieldhouse, schooling defenders in the post and racking up a double-double like he did so often in the prime of his career. But as a team, the undermanned Pacers (40-28) could not keep the East-leading Raptors off the boards, falling to Toronto, 106-99. The Raptors (51-17) outrebounded Indiana 58-35 overall and 19-11… → Read More
Game Preview: Pacers at Bucks
Last Updated: March 2 at 11:45 AM ET Matchup After two disappointing losses, the Pacers (34-27) will look to get back on track on Friday night in Milwaukee, when they take on the Bucks (33-28) in a game with major playoff implications. Indiana opened its four-game road trip with back-to-back losses to Dallas and Atlanta, two of the worst teams in the league this season (the Mavericks entered… → Read More
Halftime Rewind: Pacers 45, Bucks 46
Halftime Rewind In a game with major playoff implications, the Milwaukee Bucks held a 46-45 halftime lead over the Indiana Pacers after a hard-fought first half at the BMO Harris Bradley Center. Both teams sputtered somewhat offensively in a physical first quarter that featured five technical fouls, but the Bucks held a narrow 21-18 advantage after the opening 12 minutes. Indiana led for much of… → Read More
Halftime Rewind: Pacers 43, Mavericks 49
Halftime Rewind Looking for their fifth straight win, the Pacers headed to halftime on Monday night in Dallas trailing the Mavericks, 49-43. Dallas native Myles Turner got the Pacers off to a strong start. Turner amassed nine points, six rebounds, and two blocks in the first seven minutes of Monday's contest, helping Indiana open up a five-point lead. The Mavericks hung around, however, and Doug… → Read More
Halftime Rewind: Pacers 61, Hawks 44
Halftime Rewind Coming out of the All-Star break, Pacers head coach Nate McMillan said earlier this week that he wanted his team to "start strong" as they embark on the final 24 games of the regular season. They did just that in the first half on Friday night at Bankers Life Fieldhouse, racing out to a 61-44 halftime lead over the cellar-dwelling Atlanta Hawks. The Pacers showed little rust… → Read More
Game Preview: Pacers vs Knicks
Last Updated: Feb. 11 at 4:15 PM ET Matchup Riding high after an impressive win in Boston, the Pacers are looking to put together a strong finish to the first half of the NBA season. Indiana (31-25) has just two games remaining before the All-Star break, beginning with Sunday's contest at Bankers Life Fieldhouse against the New York Knicks (23-33). The Pacers rode another standout performance… → Read More
Halftime Rewind: Pacers 59, Celtics 38
Matchup The Indiana Pacers played like a team grateful to be back on the floor in the first half of Friday night's game in Boston, racing out to a 59-38 halftime lead over the East-leading Celtics. The Blue & Gold were in action for the first time since Monday's loss to the Wizards since Wednesday's game at New Orleans was postponed due to a leak in the roof at the Smoothie Center. That… → Read More
Halftime Rewind: Pacers 55, Grizzlies 53
Halftime Rewind Looking to put the finishing touches on a perfect three-game homestand, the Pacers head into halftime on Wednesday night at Bankers Life Fieldhouse leading the short-handed Memphis Grizzlies, 55-53. Myles Turner was back in the starting lineup on Wednesday. The 21-year-old had missed nine games with a right elbow injury and then come off the bench in the past two contests as he… → Read More
Game Preview: Pacers vs Grizzlies
Matchup After back-to-back wins, the Pacers (28-23) will look to put the finishing touches on a 3-0 homestand on Wednesday evening, when they host the Memphis Grizzlies (18-31). After a dramatic come-from-behind victory over Orlando on Saturday, the Blue & Gold adopted a more business-like approach in Monday's 105-96 win over Charlotte. Though Monday's victory featured strong performances… → Read More
Halftime Rewind: Pacers 53, Magic 70
Halftime Rewind One night after falling on the road in Cleveland, the Pacers returned home to Bankers Life Fieldhouse but fell into an early hole against the Orlando Magic. Former Pacers coach Frank Vogel's squad dominated the first two quarters on Saturday night, taking a 70-53 lead into halftime. The rested Magic, who last played on Tuesday, raced out to an early lead. Orlando scored the first… → Read More
Game Preview: Pacers at Cavaliers
Last Updated: Jan. 26 at 6:55 PM ET Matchup When the 2017-18 schedule first came out last August, not even the most ardent of Pacers fans would believe that Indiana would travel to Cleveland on Jan. 26 with a chance to sweep the regular season series against LeBron and the Cavs. Yet that's exactly what is in play on Friday night, when the Pacers (26-22) visit Quicken Loans Arena for their fourth… → Read More
Halftime Rewind: Pacers 46, Spurs 43
Halftime Rewind Looking to close out their five-game road trip on a winning note, the Pacers took a 46-43 lead into halftime on Sunday night in San Antonio. The Pacers jumped out to an early 8-2 lead on Sunday, but the Spurs responded with nine unanswered points. From there, the two teams went back and forth in an opening quarter that featured seven lead changes and three ties and ended with San… → Read More