Pacers finish roadie flat with loss to Lakers, return home to face Knicks
The Pacers hope to get better at home after a clunky road trip against Western Conference teams.
The good news is, the Pacers are back in Indy after salvaging a 2-2 road trip despite dropping their last game to the Lakers, 124-117. The bad news is, the Pacers fumbled a great opportunity to beat a short-handed Lakers team and return with a 3-1 record.
However, all four games had an opportunity to go either way, so it would take little effort to say the Pacers coulda, shoulda or would returned to Indy with a 4-0, 3-1, 2-2, 1-3 or 0-4 record considering poorly the Pacers played for stretches in each game. To their credit, they rallied at various points in all three, but alas, the trip was a bit wild.
Paris hangover after having to go three more time zones from France a week after returning to Eastern time? There are worse explanations. Missing Myles Turner? Surely, the Pacers missed their big man who started the trip with a balky ankle before exiting the Clippers’ game early and missing the Lakers mess.
And by mess, I mean the Pacers sat LeBron and Luka, yet the Pacers allowed Austin Reaves to nuke ‘em for a career high 45 points. The chronic problem of horrific first quarter performances on this trip, continued with the Lakers taking a 44-22 lead after the first.
The Pacers lead for a few second real early in the game but never lead, again. If that sounds familiar, the Pacers didn’t lead at all in their loss to Portland and trailed for nearly 3/4 of their win over the Clippers. Leading after the 48th minute is all that really matters, but doing so becomes a chore if you are playing from behind, let alone behind by double digits, for long stretches of the game.
As they did in Utah, Portland and against the Clippers, the Pacers battled back and in the third quarter appeared to gain traction for another winning rally. But that early deficit was eventually too much to overcome, once again and Reaves was able to keep cooking enough to send the Pacers home with an L.
The only hope is that the Pacers don’t bring that road funk home with them to the Fieldhouse. Nothing seemed easy on the trip and the defense faltered from the strong improvement they had shown prior to Paris. Andrew Nembhard isn’t responsible for Reaves, add Ben Sheppard, Tyrese Haliburton and the rest of the team to the mix for not executing any adjustments to slow down Reaves who was also on a major heater (like, major heater).
However, Nembhard’s trip was not pleasant and his usual positive impact was severely muted. His three-point shot continues to struggle, making just 2 of 8 on the trip. Just 8 3PAs in four games indicates his lack of attack mode. Against the Clips, Nembhard shot 2 of 9 overall and just 0 of 1 against the Lakers. Hopefully, two days off and some home cooking will have Nembhard back in a better spot for the two games before the All-Star break. His absence early in the season was a big factor in the 10-15 start and when he plays with minimal impact it plays a similar factor.
Despite falling flat before heading home, the Pacers did manage the 2-2 roadie as mentioned above, and are now 4-2 after playing 6 of their 8 post-Paris games. They remain in fourth place in the East, now 1.5 games ahead of Milwaukee. BTW, the Spurs are 3-5 since returning to the states after winning the last game of a 5-game roadie in Washington on Monday. Both teams will welcome the All-Star break with open arms.
Back home for Knicks
The Pacers surely didn’t impress the national TV audience watching in L.A. on Sunday. These are the types of games which get the Pacers easily dismissed in discussions of playoff contenders. Hopefully, they can bounce back, as they did in Paris, with a spirited winning effort against the Knicks on Tuesday night in a game broadcast on TNT.
The Pacers upgraded Myles Turner to questionable and reported that he participated in practice, although not fully. Still, after practice the team had not ruled out Turner playing against the Knicks. New York has listed OG Anunoby as questionable with an ankle injury that has kept him out the past three games. The Pacers simply having a practice was good news, hopefully giving the team a chance to reset their focus while prepping for the Knicks. Energy should not be a problem at home, facing a Knicks team the Pacers know will be relentless.
As for fortifying the front court, over the weekend it appeared the Pacers would be adding center Alex Len to the mix after he was bought out by the Wizards and expected to clear waivers. However, the failed trade by the Lakers to add center Mark Williams, keeps a center spot with more opportunity for Len to take. That situation remains in limbo as the circumstances of the failed trade are sorted out.
Chris Haynes reported on Monday that the Pacers will now sign Jahlil Okafor to a 10-day contract. The former lottery pick out of Duke has been working to rehab his career with the Mad Ants, averaging 18.6 points and 8.7 rebounds per game. Whether Okafor plays or not he plays much, and you have to assume he will be an emergency center at best, unless Turner remains out, putting that NBA uniform on again, will have to be sweet feeling and a boost to Okafor’s comeback effort.
Pacers vs. Knicks
Where: Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, IN
When: Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025, 7:30 p.m. ET
TV: TNT
Radio: 93.5/107.5 The Fan
Odds: Pacers -2.5
Projected Starters
Pacers: Tyrese Haliburton, Andrew Nembhard, Bennedict Mathurin, Pascal Siakam, Thomas Bryant
Knicks: Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart, Mikal Bridges, Precious Achiuwa, Karl Anthony-Towns
Injuries
Pacers: Myles Tuner (cervical strain) - questionable, Isaiah Jackson (Achilles) - out
Knicks: Josh Hart (knee) - probable, OG Anunoby (foot) - questionable, Dadiet Pacome (toe) - out, Mitchell Robinson (ankle) - out