Pacers trying to get up off the mat after getting rolled by Clippers
The Pacers will try to get right when they host the Hornets on Wednesday night.
The Pacer ran into the absolute worst type of buzz saw at the worst time on Monday night at the Fieldhouse when Paul George and friends scored 77 first-half points, before dispatching of the Pacers, 151-127.
On the Clippers’ first possession, PG was iso’d on Buddy Hield and just shot over the shorter Hield to open the scoring. From then on, Kawhi Leonard, James Harden and PG took turns lighting up the Pacers who didn’t have any defensive options to turn to, nor the disposition to overcome the inevitable mismatches.
Leonard was a midrange maestro in the first half, making his first eight shots from a variety of angles, comfortably getting to his spot to create separation and rise up.
At the start of the fourth quarter, James Harden missed a three-pointer on the first possession. A couple of minutes later, the Beard made a three which had me surprised that he hadn’t scored 20 points yet. Four minutes later had had rattled off 21 points and exited the game with 35 points as he and Kawhi shared some rare emotion, yelling and dancing at the expense of the Pacers who had nothing for the Clips all night.
Rick Carlisle was disgusted by the display he witnessed, an “ugly” effort on the defensive end regardless of the Hall of Fame caliber talent on the other side. The results of alter are “not acceptable” so Carlisle plans to look at lineup changes, even possibly changing the style of play to slow down if that would help.
This would require a bit of magic considering this roster isn’t built to slow down, particularly with Tyrese Haliburton running the offense. Aaron Nesmith, TJ McConnell surely lead the team in defensive disposition, but just inserting those two into the starting lineup won’t fix what is ailing them. But it wouldn’t hurt, especially giving Nesmith a start just as an appreciation of what he has brought off the bench.
While the frustration is palpable among the team, and should be, there are several variables at play which will prevent a quick fix. From day one of this blog, I have lamented the imbalanced roster, so yeah, still a problem with no size on the wings to handle many of the elite talents in the league.
Additionally, the IST run turned into an exhaustive exercise with the 12 road games and an extra game. The Lakers are 1-3 since winning while the Pacers are still struggling with a depleted roster. After sending Jarace Walker and Ben Sheppard to the G-League showcase on Monday, the Pacers only had 10 players suited up with Andrew Nembhard and Jalen Smith still out.
Have to assume, the Pacers will have the rooks rejoin the team after playing on Tuesday in Orlando. Remains a strange move considering the situation with an unrested roster. The situation was made worse with Myles Turner tweaking a hammy on Monday, making him a late scratch. Walker scored 31 points for the Mad Ants, but Shepard was sick and couldn’t play. Regardless, brutal timing all around.
Bottom line, the current situation will improve when the roster is fully healthy. Improve does not mean resolving the long-term issues, but a win or two can surely help right the ship. The schedule is not doing the Pacers any favors, though. The back-to-back with the Hornets at the Fieldhouse on Wednesday followed by the Grizzlies in Memphis on Thursday, will be as good as it gets for awhile. Of course, the Grizz game will be Ja Morant’s first home game after his 25-game suspension to start the season.
On a positive note, at the offensive end (natch), Isaiah Jackson started the game quite strong, finishing at the rim several times and even knocking down a little free-throw line middy. IJax scored 11 of his 15 points in the first quarter. Benn Mathurin never stopped hunting buckets and ended up with a career-high 34 points, finishing through contact quite nicely at times.
Offense has also been a bit of a struggle with opponents working to make life tough for Haliburton after watching the Lakers attacking him. Including the IST championship game, Hali has 21 turnovers in his last five games. Adversity offers an opportunity for growth and the Pacers have plenty of opportunity to grow at both ends of the floor considering the challenges that lie ahead on the schedule.
The Pacers were back at it, practicing on Tuesday, hunting for answers. That’s the only way to approach the problem. No time for a pity party, have to stay on the grind and find a winning groove once, again.
The Hornets certainly won’t feel sorry for the Pacers with long and impactful injury list.
Game Details
Where: Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, IN
When: Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2023, 7:00 p.m. ET
TV: Bally Sports
Radio: 93.5/107.5 The Fan
Projected Starters
Pacers: Tyrese Haliburton, Bruce Brown, Buddy Hield, Obi Toppin, Myles Turner
Hornets: Terry Rozier, Bryce McGowans, PJ Washington, Brandon Miller, Nick Richards
Injuries
Pacers: Myles Turner (hammy) - questionable, Andrew Nembhard (knee) - out, Jalen Smith (knee/heel) - out
Hornets: Gordon Hayward (illness) - questionable, PJ Washington (shoulder) - questionable, Mark Williams (back) - doubtful, LaMelo Ball (ankle) - out, Cody Martin (knee) - out, Frank Ntilikina (tibia) - out
Also, the Hornets game is a must win.
Jarace Walker (No. 8 overall pick) can’t see the court despite their woeful defense. Meanwhile, Trayce Jackson-Davis (No. 57 overall) had 10 pts, 13 rebounds, and was +25 for the game for GS against Boston.