Pacers had nothing for Knicks when it mattered most, limp toward All-Star break with one more game in Washington

The Pacers altered their starting lineup but the change didn't last long and any initial impact muted by a second half that saw the Knicks dominate the action.

The Pacers dropped their second consecutive game for the first time since late December, losing 128-115 to the Knicks who enjoyed the Pacers’ version of Hoosier Hospitality, taking care of their guests as they strolled to the rim repeatedly.

Rick Carlisle altered the starting lineup, returning Aaron Nesmith to first group while bringing Bennedict Mathurin off the bench. Nesmith was a bit too aggressive out of the gate, picking up two fouls in five minutes which brought Mathurin on the court.

As a positive, the Pacers started much better than they did in their four road games. Mathurin came off the bench firing and showed the benefit of having a scorer playing that sixth man role. Mathurin ended up playing 31 minutes, scored 19 points and getting to the line 11 times where he made 9.

Unfortunately, Mathurin’s defense wasn’t firing on all cylinders as the overall defensive effort by the Pacers was maddening. While on offense the Pacers seemed to fare well forcing Jalen Brunson to play defense which put him in foul trouble and only 23 minutes on the court. Normally, that would be a big boost to the defense, but instead it highlighted the decencies on that end as Karl Anthony-Towns (40 points, 12 rebs) and Josh Hart (30 points, 10 rebs) could not be contained in the second half.

After keeping pace in the first half, the Pacers lost their grip and were unable to stay in touch throughout the second half. While KAT and Hart were lethal, reserves Deuce McBride, Landry Shamet and Cam Payne were far too comfortable and added a combined 35 points to help cover up for Brunson’s subpar game.

Carlisle finally put in Jarace Walker to try to give a boost at the defensive end. With Toppin’s defense and unreliable 3-ball of late, giving Walker a go after the break with orders to focus on defensive effort would be nice to see. If he’s too aggressive (imagine that!) and has foul trouble, Obi is still available. Appears that won’t happen in Washington, as Walker has shown up on the injury report as questionable with a sore lower back.

Bottom line is, the defense failed the Pacers in the second half. The Knicks closed the third quarter on a 5-0 run, then had separate runs of 7-0, 8-2 and 5-0 in the fourth quarter. The Pacers needed an 8-0 garbage time run in the final two minutes to make the score appear reasonable.

It wasn’t.

Nor was the way KAT and Hart in particular repeatedly got to the rim to score. Hart made 10 of 11 shots at the rim, seemingly cutting baseline every possession to then receive a pass and score. That wasn’t the case, because he and KAT also combined to convert ORebs at the rim far too often, as well.

Oy.

The Pacers weren’t good and once, again missed the presence of Myles Turner who will also not play against the Wizards. They are obviously leaking oil as a squad, trying to get to the All-Star break. Hopefully, they can rise up and handle the Wizards despite the road back-to-back. It seems strange to see the Pacers favored by 10 points to beat the Wiz. Have the books seen them play the past two weeks?

Despite the frustration with the showing against the Knicks which exposed a bold demarcation currently between the third and fourth place teams in the East, the Pacers just need to get to the break. Rest, reset and try like hell to return to he level of play they showed throughout January. ‘Cause this February effort thus far, ain’t it.

Pacers vs. Wizards

Where: Capital One Arena, Washington, D.C.

When: Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2025, 7:00 p.m. ET

TV: FanDuel Sports Network

Radio: 93.5/107.5 The Fan

Odds: Pacers -10

Projected Starters

Pacers: Tyrese Haliburton, Andrew Nembhard, Aaron Nesmith, Pascal Siakam, Thomas Bryant

Wizards: Bub Carrington, Jordan Poole, Bilal Coulibaly, Kyshawn George, Richaun Holmes

Injuries

Pacers: Jarace Walker (lower back) - questionable, Myles Tuner (cervical strain) - out, Isaiah Jackson (Achilles) - out

Wizards: Alex Sarr (ankle) - questionable, Saddiq Bey (knee) - out, Anthony Gill (ankle) - out, Khris Middleton (not with team) - out, Marcus Smart (finger) - out