Pacers drop homestand closer to Pistons, now hit road for next four games
The Pacers couldn't get back to .500 and now will try to do so on the road this week.
After jumping out to a 16-11 lead five minutes into the first quarter against the Pistons on Friday night, the Pacers faded away in the midst of a 22-8 run to finish the first by the visitors as the Pistons seized control of the game. By the final buzzer the Pistons had also seized control of their NBA Cup destiny, leaving the Fieldhouse with a 130-106 win.
The Pacers were left chasing all night and while making a dent in the lead a few times, never seemed to get out of third gear nor pose a serious threat in the second half. The Pistons made 18 of 38 threes as Cade Cunningham lead the way with four of those 3-balls, ending with 24 points, 11 assists and 6 rebounds. Malik Beasley came off the bench to drain 5 threes and add 25 points to keep the Pistons humming throughout their playing rotations.
Cunningham did have 6 turnovers and some of those came at the expense of the Pacers bright spot in the game, that being the defensive effort of Jarace Walker. The second-year forward took on the challenge of trying to slow down Cunningham and showed just how valuable a defensive wing with size can be. In fact, Walker wasn’t on Cunningham enough and often was screened off when he was, but one of his first possession is shown below. Walker finished with 5 steals to go along with 10 points, 4 assists and 3 rebounds in 31 minutes of action.
Honestly, Walker’s game was the main take away in an otherwise blah loss. Again, it revealed how desperately the Pacers need defensive size AND that Jarace Walker can help solve that problem. He just needs to stack those types of efforts on that end on a consistent basis and let the rest of the game come to him. Not unsimilar to how JOB forced Paul George to earn his defensive stripes, Walker becoming that guy who can slide into matchups against big guards or wing scorers to impact the game would not only lift his career but also help lift the Pacers in the standings, like…now.
Of course, now the Pacers hit the road starting with an afternoon game against the Grizzlies which quite honestly snuck up on me. Thought it was Sunday evening, regardless the Grizz present a whole different challenge with Ja Morant as the head of the snake that isn’t a matchup favoring Walker. Hopefully, Quenton Jackson had a good night’s sleep.
Overall effort has to improve from Friday, as the Pacers didn’t have much juice after falling behind. The fact that Bennedict Mathurin scored 16 points, most late, while grabbing zero rebounds is an example of how both Benn and the team were not in their preferred attack mode. Usually a matchup against Jaden Ivey brings out the best in Benn, but Ivey continued his strong start to the season with 23 points, 6 assists and 5 rebounds.
The Pacers begin their roadie still missing Andrew Nembhard (knee), Ben Sheppard (oblique), and Aaron Nesmith (ankle). Hopefully these three can start cycling back into the mix soon as the team begins their December schedule. Nembhard is now listed as questionable for Sunday’s game which is certainly hopeful, while Nesmith and Sheppard expect to be out.
Pacers vs. Grizzlies
Where: FedEx Forum, Memphis, TN
When: Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024, 3:30 p.m. ET
TV: FanDuel Sports Network
Radio: 93.5/107.5 The Fan
Odds: Pacers + 6.5
Projected Starters
Pacers: Tyrese Haliburton, Quenton Jackson, Bennedict Mathurin, Pascal Siakam, Myles Turner
Grizzlies: Ja Morant, Desmond Bane, Jaylen Wells, Jaren Jackson Jr., Brandon Clarke
Injuries
Pacers: Andrew Nembhard (knee) - questionable, Ben Sheppard (oblique) - out, Aaron Nesmith (ankle) - out, James Wiseman (Achilles) - out, Isaiah Jackson (Achilles) - out
Grizzlies: Zach Edey (ankle) - out, GG Jackson (foot) - out, Vince Williams Jr. (ankle) - out