Pacers end homestand 1-3, now head west for next four games
The Pacers have been working as hard off the court to field a healthy and capable roster as they have on the court while waiting for injured players to return.
The Pacers took a 112-103 loss to the Nets on Wednesday in the final game of their four-game homestand. The game was as ‘blah’ as the crowd for an early season game with little juice between two teams with one win combined. Rick Carlisle tried to add some juice, getting tossed a few second into the third quarter over the ref’s handling of an out of bounds call against the Pacers, but it was short-lived.
The Nets left with their first win thanks to the lengthy active front court players and wings making themselves hard to guard and earning 35 trips to the free throw line. Michael Porter Jr. scored 32 points with 11 rebounds. Nic Claxton added a double-double and Noah Clowney added an efficient 17 points. Those three in particular seemed to always get the ball when the Nets needed it and were able to create a bucket.
Obviously, the Pacers defense fouled far too much while playing with a variety of odd lineups we may never see again, just because there are new guys in Cody Martin and Jeremiah Robinson-Earl who may not be on the roster by the end up the upcoming four-game road trip.
The constant steady hand that is Pascal Siakam appeared headed for a few less minutes based on his first half sub pattern, but alas he still played 36 minutes with 23 points, 10 assists and 6 rebounds. Siakam continued struggling from the foul line, making 2 of 6 and picked up his share (5) of the Pacers 23 fouls battling the Nets active front court.
The man need help and the Pacers are trying, making another move before leaving town, the fourth players transaction already, by releasing Mac McClung and signing Monte Morris to play point guard.
So, the Pacers play back-to-back games in Denver on Saturday and Golden State on Sunday. Morris returns to a former home against the Nuggets and may very well start the game at point guard. Also, Andrew Nembhard has been seen looking pretty healthy while working out before games this week. The highlight of the week was seeing his injury status upgraded from ‘out’ to ‘questionable’ as the Pacers flew west on Friday.
Morris likes to play with pace and has a history of minimizing turnovers and hey, he played at Iowa State, so the profile sounds familiar when trying to help cover up for the Pacers other point guard from Iowa State. His presence will help and if Nembhard can go, the Pacers will be back in good shape from a point guard stand point.
RayJ Dennis played just five minutes against the Nets and does not appear healthy but you have to appreciate the effort get out there despite the back issues. I was surprised the Pacers used up one of his 50 available games in that Nets game for just five minutes instead of just playing McClung, but in the end you hope they don’t get close to needing Dennis for all 50. Dennis is not listed on the injury report heading into the game at Denver.
Ben Sheppard started at point guard in name only because the Pacers have to start five. He did initiate some offense along with Siakam and had one of his better games against the Nets. Shep even made 3 of 7 threes which has his shot trending in the right direction making 4 of his last 9.
After going four games without making a 3-ball and missing 17 consecutive 3PAs, I noticed Shep working with coach Jannero Pargo prior to the Milwaukee game on Monday. He was clanking threes and just struggling to let it fly. Pargo talked him through some stuff then showed how he was arching his back too much on a pump fake and shot. After a few reps, Shep found the right release slot and rhythm and made several in a row. Then he made his first 3-ball in the game and I thought I had witnessed a major breakthrough.
Well, maybe not, but Shep is at least on the mend and appears to be shooting it with improved confidence while still showing improved finishing ability at the rim.
Due to the roster limitations and shuffling, Shep has had more than his share of minutes to work through issues on the court. The Pacers have to play somebody and against the Nets they trotted out some wild lineup combinations.
My favorite lineup, for head shaking purposes, was late in the third quarter when Sheppard, Taelon Peter, Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, Jay Huff and Tony Bradley teamed up for almost three minutes. Naturally, the group was +2 in that stint. Don’t sleep on JRE, the guy knows how to play the game and grabbed 15 rebounds in 23 minutes. Kinda a Tony Bradley-ish forward, nothing overly flashy but finds himself in the right spots to do some dirty work. Considering his legit forward size, any relief he can provide to lessen the heavy burden of minutes Siakam is taking on is a bonus.
The Pacers will catch the Nuggets on a back-to-back after a high-profile win over the Warriors on Friday Night in their NBA Cup clash.
Pacers vs. Nuggets
Where: Ball Arena, Denver, CO
When: Saturday, November 8, 2025 - 9:00 p.m. ET
TV: FanDuel Sports Network
Radio: 93.5/107.5 The Fan
Odds: Pacers +11.5
Projected Starters
Pacers: Ben Sheppard, Aaron Nesmith, Jarace Walker, Pascal Siakam, Isaiah Jackson
Nuggets: Jamal Murray, Christian Braun, Cameron Johnson, Aaron Gordon, Nikola Jokic
Injuries
Pacers: Andrew Nembhard (shoulder) - questionable, Quenton Jackson (hammy) - out, Johnny Furphy (ankle) - out, Obi Toppin (hammy) - out, Bennedict Mathurin (toe) - out, TJ McConnell (hammy) - out, Kam Jones (back) - out, Tyrese Haliburton (Achilles) - out
Nuggets: Zeke Nnaji (ankle) - probable