Saturday was supposed to be Bennedict Mathurin’s big Arizona homecoming party when the Indiana Pacers faced the Phoenix Suns in the Valley.
Mathurin will have to live with his return to the desert being slightly overshadowed by Indiana teammate T.J. McConnell, who went for his third career triple-double in his own return to the Grand Canyon State.
McConnell, coming off a career-high 29 points this past Monday, dropped 18 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds in the Pacers’ 112-107 loss to the Suns at Footprint Center.
McConnell made a rare start for the Pacers, who are without leading scorer Tyrese Haliburton with a left knee bruise.