Pascal Siakam debuted, Tyrese Haliburton returned, but the Indiana Pacers epic night was spoiled
All of the stars were aligned for the Indiana Pacers on Friday night. They were about to kick off the second half of their season after a 24-17 start, and it was the perfect night to begin a new chapter.
Pascal Siakam, the star forward that the team acquired on Wednesday, was in the lineup for the first time. His size, scoring, defense, and pretty much everything else fits Indiana perfectly. His teammates and coaches were excited about what he could bring to the roster.
The Pacers other star, Tyrese Haliburton, was back in the lineup after missing five games due to injury. Aaron Nesmith was healthy again, too. Indiana was turning the page to the second half of their campaign, they had all of their premier talents available, and they were taking on the lowly Portland Trail Blazers, who had just 11 wins entering the night. Everything was set up to be a perfect start to a new era of Indiana Pacers basketball.
Instead, the blue and gold lost to the Trail Blazers. Again. They were swept by Portland this season, and they were sloppy in both defeats. It wasn't the outing the Pacers hoped for at all, especially after a good-feeling win over the Sacramento Kings on Thursday.
"We just weren't consistent enough," Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said after the game on the Bally Sports Indiana broadcast. He cited untimely turnovers as a problem, as well as the play of Trail Blazers forward Jerami Grant (37 points).
The defeat sucked the emotions out of a night that could have been epic for Indiana. Fortunately, though, they still have to feel great about their new addition, how he will play with Haliburton, and the team's general long-term outlook.
Despite the loss, Siakam gave the Pacers everything they could have hoped for, and he had been with the team for less than 24 hours. The two-time All-Star forward finished with 21 points, six rebounds, and three assists. Indiana outscored Portland by 17 with Siakam on the floor — foul trouble prevented him from playing more often.
The 29-year old spun his way into his favorite shots, attacked space in the paint, and only turned the ball over once. His gravity helped Haliburton and other shooters like Buddy Hield (18 points on 6/11 three-point shooting) and Myles Turner (29 points and 12 rebounds) have an easier time with their matchups. Indiana lost, but Siakam had little to do with that.
Haliburton, meanwhile, was playing for the first time since January 8. He missed the previous five games with a Grade 1 hamstring strain, but he wasn't going to miss this one. He, too, looked excellent.
The All-Star guard finished with 21 points and 17 assists without coughing up a single turnover. He drew contact and pushed into the restricted area in the second half. While Haliburton was clearly grimacing at times, he played through it and continued his star-level form.
"They're going to work well. Both guys played well here offensively," Carlisle said of the Siakam and Haliburton pairing."They both were significant pluses in the game. All that's going to work."
Haliburton's minutes favored Indiana by 16. Turner and Hield were great, too. The Pacers starting five looked lethal — even Nesmith knocked down some threes and defended capably.
And yet, the team still lost. They gave away the lead with 2:33 to go in the first quarter and never got it back. How could that be? With such a dominant top five and positive emotions entering the night, what went wrong for the blue and gold?
The answer lies on the bench. Their depth, which has been reliable all season long, was a massive weakness on Friday night.
Indiana beat the Atlanta Hawks last Friday behind great play from their bench. They toppled Sacramento two days ago largely thanks to reserve players. Those guys have been effective all season, and even in recent days.
The opposite was the case last night. Carlise's team averages 49 bench points per game, which leads the NBA. They had just 14 last night. Pacers reserves have shot a league-best 51.1% from the field this season. In Portland, they were 4/24. All they had to do to win was be mediocre as a group, but they were terrible in a three-point loss.
It didn't help that the five guys who played off the bench on Friday had eight of Indiana's 13 turnovers. In a three-point game, those lineups needed to be far better.
"They're a physical team. They play hard. They play well at home," Carlisle said of the Blazers.
In fairness to most of Indiana's second unit, it was clearly an anomaly. Bennedict Mathurin had his least-accurate game of the season. T.J. McConnell had his second-fewest assists in a game this year in which he reached 10 minutes. Obi Toppin had his worst shooting night of 2023-24 and was held scoreless for the first time as a Pacer. Those three were valuable earlier on the Pacers current road trip, but weren't enough on Friday night.
Jalen Smith contributed, and Ben Sheppard was active albeit inaccurate as well. But the Pacers needed more from everyone. "We needed nine or ten guys to be pretty consistent. We just weren't" Carlisle said.
It spoiled an otherwise awesome night for the Pacers. Saiakam already looked the part of the hand-in-glove fit he was billed to be for Indiana. He created his own shots, got to his favorite areas on the court, and was a mismatch nightmare. He had 21 easy points despite not really knowing Indiana's offense yet, and he did it without subtracting from anyone else's best skills.
Haliburton was a weapon and didn't need to force feed his new teammate. Five of his 17 assists went to Siakam on Friday. 20+ points and nearly 20 assists without a turnover is remarkable.
The Pacers were +27 with Siakam and Haliburton sharing the court against the Blazers. They were -30 otherwise. Clearly, that duo can shine together.
So despite a woeful bench night and an underwhelming performance overall by the blue and gold on Friday, there is a lot for them to be happy about. Their starting lineup sang, their stars were fantastic, and they got better as the game progressed. If the depth gets back to its usual level, the team could be dangerous. On Friday, with a chance to seize an opportunity with attention, they weren't dangerous enough from top to bottom.
- Pascal Siakam has been traded to the Indiana Pacers. CLICK HERE.
- Indiana Pacers players and coaches react to Pascal Siakam acquisition: 'He's a special player'. CLICK HERE.
- James Johnson is back with the Indiana Pacers on a 10-day contract. CLICK HERE.
- Indiana Pacers bench struggles lead to a loss vs Portland Trail Blazers in first game with Pascal Siakam. CLICK HERE.
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