Pacers end year with loss to Bucks, make two-way roster change, now in Miami to face Heat
A feel-good New Year's Eve game turned painful when the Bucks rallied to beat the Pacers on Tuesday afternoon.
The Pacers were ready to pop the cork on a boisterous New Year’s Eve celebration but champagne turned flat. No pop, not fizz, just a second half fade leading to a 120-112 loss to the Bucks.
A few of the classic loss indicators showed up in the second half after the Pacers took a 64-53 lead to the break. While they essentially matched the Bucks on the glass, Milwaukee outscored the Pacers 21-9 in second chance points. The Bucks also outscored the Pacers 19-12 in points off turnovers. But, really it was the Pacers inability to close, to play a full 48 minutes that turned the game in Milwaukee’s favor.
The Pacers played a strong 30 minutes to start the game, but as Rick Carlisle lamented after the game, that’s not enough, even when the Pacers had an 18-point lead. The Bucks rallied to outscore the Pacers 56-29 over the final 18 minutes, using a zone that the Pacers struggled to attack, instead settling for perimeter shots that stopped falling. The Pacers made just 2 of 10 threes in the fourth quarter and as their lead evaporated and the game tightened, no one could stop the bleeding.
Credit the Bucks for rallying as they did. Giannis Antetokounmpo had four points at the half and finished with 30 points, flashing a maddeningly impressive array of midrange shots and fade aways (example). Damian Lillard had no points at the half and ended with just 9 points but those were on a trio of threes that help boost the momentum Milwaukee enjoyed as they steamrolled past the Pacers for the win.
Also, credit the Bucks to turning to a zone defense which provided the main take away from this game. The Pacers have been stymied by the zone on several occasions this season, but it seemed like after the big lead the Pacers felt they could cruise home, as if individually they believed, well, someone else will keep making plays for us. Carlisle was not happy with how the Pacers attacked, or better put, didn’t attack the zone, instead settling for outside shots and making it easy on Milwaukee to defend.
Consistency is always a theme around the Pacers, whether it is Haliburton’s attack mind set which we saw in Boston but didn’t on Tuesday or focus on rebounding or taking care of the ball, etc. Welp, the Pacers will likely see a consistent dose of zone defense, including on Thursday night in Miami, until they can consistently attack and neutralize the zone instead of falling prey to the change in defense.
Two-way changes
On New Year’s Day, the Pacers waived second-round pick, Tristan Newton who was on a two-way contract. According to Michael Scotto and confirmed by Tony East, the Pacers will fill the two-way slot with guard, RayJ Dennis who played at Boise State, Toledo and Baylor in college. Dennis has been playing on the Clippers G-League team in San Diego, averaging over 16 points per game, similar numbers to Newton. Scott Agness reports that Newton may have been pushing for the move to be made, so we’ll have to see where he ends up next.
Pacers vs. Heat
Where: Kaseya Center, Miami, FL
When: Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025, 7:30 p.m. ET
TV: FanDuel Sports Network
Radio: 93.5/107.5 The Fan
Odds: Pacers +1
Projected Starters
Pacers: Tyrese Haliburton, Andrew Nembhard, Bennedict Mathurin, Pascal Siakam, Myles Turner
Heat: Tyler Herro, Terry Rozier, Jimmy Butler, Haywood Highsmith, Bam Adebayo
Injuries
Pacers: Aaron Nesmith (ankle) - out, James Wiseman (Achilles) - out, Isaiah Jackson (Achilles) - out
Heat: Duncan Robinson (foot) - questionable, Josh Richardson (heel) - out, Dru Smith (Achilles) - out