Andrew Nembhard, Pacers showing progress despite losing streak

Indiana has lost its last 12 games, but it doesn't tell the full story.

Indiana Pacers guard/forward Andrew Nembhard shoots the ball in the first half against the San Antonio Spurs. | Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

The Indiana Pacers are losers of 12 straight games, but that doesn't mean everything the team has done has been poor.

The team has been close in a lot of these losses, including an eight-point defeat against the Orlando Magic on the road. Pacers guard Andrew Nembhard spoke about how close the team was to snapping their losing streak against the Magic.

"We kept it close for most of the game. There are going to be times where they outscore us in certain periods like we do in other periods. I felt like we were close throughout the whole game. Got a lot of good shots throughout the game, and it wasn’t there to finish it off tonight," Nembhard said.

Orlando Magic guard Desmond Bane drives to the basket against Indiana Pacers guard Andrew Nembhard. | Mike Watters-Imagn Images

Pacers show polish in loss vs. Magic

The Pacers made 48 shots against the Magic and had an assist on 38 of those. Nembhard led the team with 11 assists and spoke about how the ball movement has changed the offense.

"Tough to not win when we do that. I feel like we got a lot of good shots. We just got to get back into the gym and make them fall," Nembhard said.

Nembhard isn't the only one noticing how the Pacers are improving as a team. Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle also believes the team is showing signs of positivity despite the results.

“We’re making progress. The stretch in the second quarter, that’s what we’ve got to address. Any kind of long offensive or defensive droughts," Carlisle said after the loss against the Magic. "And most of the time they’re related. You’ve got bad droughts on offense; it’s probably your defense isn’t doing a good enough job, and vice versa.

"We’ll look at all of this stuff. And I was very proud of the way the guys hung in in the second half. We got down 10 or 12, or whatever it was, actually came back, got the lead. And they just had a couple of loose ball plays where we just need to squeeze it and just come up with it. So, there are positive to build on.”

The Pacers surrendered a 17-0 run to the Magic in the second quarter, which mattered a lot in an 8-point loss. The Pacers have had games where they play well for most of the match, but not the entirety. That is why the losses have continued.

If the Pacers can clean it up and play a full 48 minutes of consistent basketball, they can end this losing streak once and for all.