DENVER — The Pacers arrived in the Mile High City on Saturday afternoon and then held practice, which is one way to proactively help minimize the effects of traveling several times zones. It’s the start of a nine-day trip, their second of three five-game road trips this season — and by far the most difficult.

Especially at the beginning, with a back-to-back on Sunday and Monday against Denver and Utah, respectively. Both are top-four teams in the Western Conference, playing well this month and a combined 32-8 at home. Which is why Pacers point guard Malcolm Brogdon believes these two games will set the tone for the trip, which also includes visits to Phoenix, San Francisco and Portland.

“I think you start strong because as the road trip goes on, you get tired traveling,” Brogdon said. “We’re playing five good teams, so we start strong on this back-to-back and we get both of these games, and then as we get more tired, it’s going to get tougher, but that’s the way to start. I think you start and finish road trips well.”

The Pacers (27-15) are in a good spot, fresh off consecutive wins over the Timberwolves. They’ve won four games in a row and three straight on the road, where they’re 10-10.

“Road trips are where a team’s depth gets really challenged, and we’re a team that’s deep,” Brogdon continued. “We’re a team that, a lot of nights, the second unit comes in and can outperform the first unit, so that’s one of our strengths going into this road trip.

“Our goal is to win every game. It doesn’t matter who we play; we’re good enough to go 5-0 on this road trip if we believe that, so that’s what we preach every game.”

We’ve reached the dog days of the season, the final weeks leading up to the All-Star break in mid-February. A road trip against quality teams won’t allow for any slip-up, and now, as healthy as a team can be halfway through the season, it can serve as a measuring stick for its place in the league. On top of that, there’s intrigue upon the Pacers’ return to Indianapolis.

Victor Oladipo stayed behind to work with his physical therapist and prepare for his season debut in 11 days, slated for Jan. 29 against the Bulls. He can also get several more practices in with the Pacers’ G League affiliate, the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, since they will be in Indy from Monday through Wednesday.

Oladipo looks good and is eager for his return from major surgery, but he will need some time to get in game rhythm and shape. It’s impossible to replicate the feel, movement and speed of an NBA game in practice.

“That’s going to have to come over the course of games, and I think that’s going to take him some games to catch up to where these guys are at,” coach Nate McMillan said. “These guys are in the best shape they’re going to be in right now, players in the NBA, and he’ll be just taking the floor.”

Sabonis not concerned with knee bruise

Last week, I passed along how the Pacers were informed that Domantas Sabonis could not hurt his left knee anymore but would have to play through pain in the meantime. Many were upset with that strategy and wanted to see Sabonis take it easy. We’ve seen other guys play through injuries, and it often leads to something else, sometimes something worse.

So I went to Sabonis to get the full story. Many players hate discussing injuries; they’d rather talk about almost anything else. Sabonis, though, opened up and shared what he had learned.

“I’ve been told it’s a bone bruise, so there’s swelling in the bone that all doctors say it can’t get worse unless you get hit in that same spot,” he said.

Sabonis was evaluated by the team doctor, and then his representatives also had him checked out by two additional specialists, which is normal. And all three doctors were in agreement: It’s simply a bone bruise and he’s not subject to additional risk by continuing to play on it.

“It’s the same thing if I get hit in my healthy knee,” Sabonis said, pointing to his right knee. “There’s the same chance. It’s not a muscle or anything, so by doing more stuff, you can’t technically get it worse.”

Sabonis tried the rest thing. He strategically didn’t do much on it for three days. He didn’t practice before their game in Chicago on Jan. 10 and didn’t play in the game, and the team had the following day off.

“Not even ice helps it,” he said. “You can’t really put anything on it. It just has to heal.”

Domantas Sabonis, shown with Karl-Anthony Towns, wears kneepads to cushion any hits he might take. (Michael Conroy / AP)

Averaging 17.8 points and 12.9 rebounds per game, Sabonis is playing like an All-Star and should get voted in by the coaches. He already wears kneepads on both knees to help cushion any hits he might take, like when falling to the ground or with knee-to-knee contact since he’s frequently setting screens. Doctors told him it would likely take four to six weeks for the bone bruise to heal.

“We’ll watch what he does in practice, and I haven’t had any restrictions put on the minutes that he (can) play,” McMillan said. “It’s something that he has to play with.”

Before walking away, Sabonis wanted to make one more thing clear:

“If it was bad, my dad wouldn’t let me play on it.”

McDermott wants to shoot in Chicago

Like Sabonis, Doug McDermott hopes to participate in All-Star weekend, which is set for Feb. 14-16 in Chicago. Only, he wants to participate in the 3-point contest held the day before the game.

“I haven’t been asked,” he said last week. “I would do it. I feel like I’ve shot it pretty well in this league, so it’d be fun to do it someday. If it’s not this year, it’d be kind of cool to do it here next year in Indy. Either/or is cool. If they reached out, I’d definitely do it, though.”

McDermott is probably playing the best basketball of his six-year career. His confidence, refreshed mindset and the players around him are the biggest reasons for this. He’s playing meaningful minutes and averaging 9.7 points on 46.5 percent shooting. He’s also shooting a career-best 42.9 percent from distance when considering a sample size of at least half a season.

Broad Ripple High School product and former Pacer George Hill, playing a similar role as Brogdon did in Milwaukee, leads the league in 3-point percentage at 52.5 percent. McDermott ranks sixth among all players with at least three 3-point tries per game, just behind Detroit’s Svi Mykhailiuk and Sacramento’s Nemanja Bjelica.

If the league asks, McDermott, who spent his first two and half seasons with the Chicago Bulls, will happily accept. But he’s not going to push for it.

“Some guys that will be in the (All-Star) Game will probably just decide to do it,” he said. “If they need a guy, I would go. I think it would be fun.”

He also has unfinished business. As a competitor, he still remembers losing to Aaron Holiday in a brief 3-point shootout during Pacers FanJam in October. So he’d like to make up for that.

“I’m still a little mad about losing to Aaron in the preseason one for the Pacers,” he said. “It was just one spot, though. I definitely want to redeem myself, and that would be a pretty cool stage to do it at.”

(Photo of McDermott: Ron Hoskins / NBAE via Getty Images)