Indiana Pacers slow start leads to loss against San Antonio Spurs
The Indiana Pacers were in San Antonio on Sunday night to take on Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs. Wembanyama is one of the most exciting players to watch in the league, but the Spurs have been a poor team this season.
Indiana destroyed San Antonio in November, but both teams have evolved significantly since then. The Pacers now have Pascal Siakam, and Wembnayama now plays center instead of power forward. The first game was too long ago to have meaningful takeaways heading into the second battle.
Wembanyama scored the first four points for the Spurs, who were up 4-0 at the time until Myles Turner rained in a three-point shot for the Pacers. Indiana was struggling defensively in the first few minutes.
The visitors trailed by six points after 3.5 minutes, with their poor play impacting them on both ends. Once the Spurs lead reached nine at 12-3, Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle took a timeout. His team was 1/8 from the field at the time.
Through half of the first quarter, the Pacers had just seven points. They couldn't hit shots consistently, even the open threes they were creating, and they were trailing by 10 points with five minutes to go in the first period. It was a miserable start for the blue and gold.
Their offense didn't get out of the mud for much of the first quarter. The Pacers were down 25-13 with 2:29 left in the first period. It was a dreadful start for Indiana for the second-straight game.
T.J. McConnell was keeping the Pacers close early. He started off 4/4 from the field with eight points, the rest of the team was 3/16 at the time. McConnell's energy needed to be contagious.
After one period, the Pacers were down 26-16. They were struggling mightily on the offense end. Indiana was 1/13 from long range and needed to knock down shots. McConnell's eight points topped the team.
Indiana went on a quick 6-2 run to start the second frame, which helped them cut into the lead. Their pace and energy looked better, and they were able to fly around in the open floor after forcing a few misses. The Spurs took a timeout after their poor start to the quarter.
They recovered out of that stoppage and were able to get their lead back to double digits. Any time that Wembanyama was in the game, San Antonio looked like the better team. Indiana needed to stabilize.
McConnell was able to do it for a few minutes. The veteran point guard was up to 14 points with six minutes to go in the first half as Indiana marched back into the game, but they were still struggling to hit threes. It was keeping them from getting back into the game, and Siakam was playing well, too.
Finally, after some back-and-forth play, Bennedict Mathurin hit a free throw that cut the Spurs lead to five for the first time since early in the first quarter. It was a big sequence for the Pacers, who kept slowly chipping at their deficit.
Indiana's run reached 11-2 as they cut the lead down to one at 49-48, but Wembanyama answered with a three-point shot late in the half. Going into halftime, the Spurs were ahead 52-48. McConnell had 14 points and Siakam had 11.
The second half opened with good play from the Pacers, who were able to take their first lead of the game less than two minutes into the third quarter. Myles Turner hit the three to get Indiana over the hump, and a few moments later, the Spurs took a timeout.
Indiana held that lead for the next few minutes, but they weren't playing their best basketball. It was a flimsy advantage. San Antonio was making them uncomfortable on the offensive end.
Near the middle of the third frame, the Spurs hit three-point shots on consecutive possessions and took the lead back. They were up by five after a Wembanyama triple, and the Pacers took a timeout. They needed consistency.
San Antonio continued surging and took an eight-point lead a few moments later. They were far more consistent all night, which made it easy for them to maintain a lead. The Pacers relied on one effective stretch to grab an advantage — and that was only temporary.
The Spurs superior play continued for the rest of the third quarter, and they were ahead 86-77 after a trio of periods. Indiana needed an excellent final frame if they were going to win.
Instead, the fourth quarter opened with more good play from the Spurs. They were up by 11 points with 10 minutes to go. Indiana was not playing well enough and was staring at a bad loss.
McConnell kept playing well as the Pacers chipped into the lead, but they were still down by eight with seven minutes to go. He, and the whole team, had work to do if they were going to win.
McConnell's terrific game continued, and he was up to 24 points with 6:26 to go in the game. That's the second-highest scoring figure of his career, and the blue and gold cut the lead to four at that time. They had a chance, but they were going to have to earn it.
On the ensuing possession, Turner hit some massive threes for Indiana, and they had cut San Antonio's edge to one point. They needed to keep their foot on the gas.
That didn't happen. Instead, the Spurs were able to balloon their lead to six over the next few possessions, putting the pressure back on the Pacers. Indiana took a timeout with 4:07 to go as they hoped to make one last push.
San Antonio's run reached 8-0, and they were ahead by nine with just a few minutes to go. They were close to finishing the Pacers and earning a win. The blue and gold just weren't good enough.
The Spurs rolled to a win in the end at 117-105. They were better for almost the entire game as the Pacers offense struggled. Indiana fell to 34-28 with the loss.
McConnell finished with 26 points and five assists. Siakam had 21 points and eight rebounds. Turner had a double-double. Wembanyama, meanwhile, finished with 31 points, 12 rebounds, six assists, one steal, and six blocks.
The Pacers have lost two games in a row and will look to bounce back on Tuesday in Dallas.
- Sources: Indiana Pacers signing forward Kendall Brown to three-year contract. CLICK HERE.
- Ben Sheppard is earning trust of Indiana Pacers with his hard play and quality performances. CLICK HERE.
- Pascal Siakam shows increased comfort level with Indiana Pacers in February win over New Orleans Pelicans. CLICK HERE.
- New Orleans Pelicans catch fire and crush Indiana Pacers to open March. CLICK HERE.
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