Three takeaways from Indiana Pacers losing-streak ending win over Charlotte Hornets
After three straight losses filled with a search for answers and a tricky minutes restriction, the Indiana Pacers grabbed a win on Sunday night. They took down the Charlotte Hornets on the road, and they used another new starting lineup to get it done.
Indiana moved Andrew Nembhard into the starting five alongside Tyrese Haliburton, Aaron Nesmith, Pascal Siakam, and Myles Turner. The latter four players are locks to start for the blue and gold going forward, but the team has been searching for the right answer in that fifth spot.
Nembhard had an off shooting night, but he still moved the ball well and defended capably, as he does. His primary matchup throughout the game, Ish Smith, finished with three points on 1/3 shooting. The Pacers outscored the Hornets by 19 with Nembhard on the floor. His impact was felt.
In general, most of the Pacers roster played well. Charlotte isn't a good team, but Indiana still found some solutions that are worth exploring more going forward. "Last week was tough. A lot of tough games... we knew that this game was important for us," Siakam said after the game during an interview on the Bally Sports Indiana broadcast of the action.
The Pacers moved to 28-23 with the victory. They remained in the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference and their schedule finally eases up going forward. It was a crucial win, and there are some takeaways that Indiana can build off of going forward.
Indiana finally allowed fewer than 100 points
For the first time of the 2023-24 season, the Pacers conceded less than 100 points to an opponent.
The Hornets aren't very good, but Indiana allowed Charlotte to score 125 and 113 points against them earlier this season. This is still a sign of progress, even with the poor opponent quality.
Nembhard shut down some ball handlers. Siakam slowed the Hornets' bigger wings. Myles Turner and Jalen Smith did well to protect the rim. It was a team performance on defense from the blue and gold, who allowed a total of 36 points across the first and fourth quarters.
"Great defensive half. We did a better job rebounding in the second quarter," Pacers assistant coach Jannero Pargo said during an interview on the Bally Sports Indiana broadcast at halftime. He noted that the team needed to get back to the simple things after a lesser second quarter.
They were able to do that and slow Charlotte the rest of the night. Since December 19, the day Indiana had their most intense, defensive-focused practice of the season, they have been the 17th-best defense in the league. That is a huge improvement from their early season level, and it continued on Sunday.
"Talking and playing physical. Doing our job. I still think we could have done better," Nesmith said of the team's level on that end of the floor on the Bally Sports Indiana broadcast. The Pacers got their best defensive win of 2023-24 last night.
The Pacers won with Tyrese Haliburton and Pascal Siakam in the lineup
For the first time since the Pacers acquired Siakam in a trade last month, they won a game that both Haliburton and Siakam played in.
The team is 5-6 since the trade, but injuries and logistics have limited their lineup. They are 1-0 without either player since the deal became official, 1-4 with both stars, and 3-2 with just Siakam and no Haliburton.
Their schedule was tough in those 11 games, so none of those records are alarming or surprising. But Haliburton noted that he wanted Siakam to play with him and have fun, and they haven't been able to do that much since the trade.
On Sunday, they did. The Pacers finally won with both players available, and they were +13 with the pairing on the court in a 16-point win.
"I think we know he's trying to get back healthy. I know how special he is as a player," Siakam said of Haliburton. "We're going to win some games together."
For the season, Indiana is +31 in 88 minutes with both players on the court. Many more wins should be coming soon.
Brandon Miller crushed the Pacers
The biggest negative for Indiana was their inability to stop Hornets rookie wing Brandon Miller. He finished with 35 points on 25 shots, and Charlotte broke even with the Pacers in his minutes.
Miller shot 10/25 from the field, but he lived at the foul line and went 10/12 from the stripe. He got into the paint often, and his outside shot was a weapon. The Pacers struggled to slow him down.
He scored 17 points in the third quarter, and in that frame Charlotte cut the deficit to four points. Siakam said the team relaxed too much at the time. "Just locking in a little bit more," the new Pacers forward said of what his team needed to do to get out of that funk.
In the fourth quarter, Miller's output dropped to 10 points as Indiana raised their level. Miller was fantastic and was the only reason this game wasn't a blowout.
The blue and gold next play on Tuesday when they host the Houston Rockets.
- Indiana Pacers still figuring out how to manage Tyrese Haliburton's minutes restriction after loss to Sacramento Kings. CLICK HERE.
- Pascal Siakam discusses long-term future with Indiana Pacers and upcoming free agency. CLICK HERE.
- Indiana Pacers trade deadline rumor tracker. CLICK HERE.
- Indiana Pacers take down Charlotte Hornets for first win with both Pascal Siakam and Tyrese Haliburton in the lineup. CLICK HERE.
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