Breaking Down the Pacers’ Remaining Tanking Journey

With just over 20 games remaining in the season, the Indiana Pacers have entered the portion of the calendar where every result carries added weight — not in the playoff race, but in the draft lottery.

Indiana sits among a cluster of teams jockeying for position in the bottom tier of the standings, and the remaining schedule could ultimately determine whether the Pacers retain their 2026 first-round pick. As the season winds down, the margin between improving lottery odds and sliding down the board could come down to just a handful of games.

Catch the whole road trip ✈https://t.co/xNMQZJZdDt pic.twitter.com/CdwLXqh7X1
— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) March 3, 2026

The Pacers are preparing to embark on a four-game West Coast road trip that could play a major role in shaping their draft position.

The trip begins tonight against the Los Angeles Clippers — the first matchup between the two teams since Indiana traded Bennedict Mathurin and Isaiah Jackson to Los Angeles for Ivica Zubac and Kobe Brown.

Indiana will remain in Los Angeles for its next game against Luka Dončić, LeBron James and the Lakers.

scoot — Feb 4, 2025; Portland, Oregon, USA; Indiana Pacers guard Andrew Nembhard (2) dribbles the ball past Portland Trail Blazers guard Scoot Henderson (00) in the first half at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Jaime Valdez-Imagn Images | Jaime Valdez-Imagn Images

The Pacers then travel to Portland on Sunday for their first meeting with the Trail Blazers this season, a notable stop considering Pacers president Kevin Pritchard and general manager Chad Buchanan both previously worked in Portland’s front office.

The road trip concludes in Sacramento in a game that could have significant implications in the inverse standings.

In fact, the matchup with the Kings will be Indiana’s only game in March against a team currently near the bottom of the standings.

kam — Mar 1, 2026; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indiana Pacers guard Kam Jones (7) dribbles the ball while Memphis Grizzlies guard Javon Small (10) defends in the first half at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images | Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

According to Tankathon’s remaining strength-of-schedule rankings, the Pacers have the sixth-most difficult schedule left in the NBA.

Three of Indiana’s more favorable matchups remaining come on this road trip — the Clippers, Trail Blazers and Kings. The Clippers sit at 29–31 and Portland at 29–33, with both teams fighting for position in the Western Conference Play-In Tournament.

Meanwhile, several other teams are in a similar position to Indiana — competing for better lottery odds or, as Brett Evans described on Setting The Pace, “refining the timeline.”

Here’s how their remaining schedules stack up.

Sacramento

The Kings have the second-easiest schedule remaining.

Weakest opponents: Pacers, Nets (twice), Jazz, Pelicans (twice), Bulls.

Brooklyn

mpj — Mar 1, 2026; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Brooklyn Nets forward Michael Porter Jr. (17) gestures after making a three point shot in the first quarter against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images | Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

The Nets have the 20th-most difficult schedule remaining.

Weakest opponents: Kings (twice), Pacers, Wizards, Grizzlies and Bucks (twice).

Utah

The Jazz have the 12th-most difficult schedule remaining.

Weakest opponents: Kings, Wizards (twice), Grizzlies, Pelicans and Bucks (twice).

Chicago

matas — Feb 26, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bulls forward Matas Buzelis (14) drives to the basket against Portland Trail Blazers forward Toumani Camara (33) during the first half of an NBA game at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images | Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

The Bulls have the 11th-most difficult schedule remaining.

Weakest opponents: Kings, Pacers, Wizards (twice), Mavericks and Grizzlies (twice).

New Orleans

murray — Mar 1, 2026; Inglewood, California, USA; New Orleans Pelicans center Derik Queen (22) and guard Dejounte Murray (5) talk during the first half against the Los Angeles Clippers at Intuit Dome. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images | Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

The Pelicans have the 10th-most difficult schedule remaining despite not owning their draft pick.

Weakest opponents: Kings (twice), Wizards, Jazz, Mavericks and Grizzlies.

Washington

bilal — Feb 22, 2026; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Wizards guard Bilal Coulibaly (0) dribbles the ball during the first half against the Charlotte Hornets at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images | Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images

The Wizards have the eighth-most difficult schedule remaining.

Weakest opponents: Nets, Jazz (twice), Pelicans and Bulls (twice).

Dallas

williams — Feb 27, 2026; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Brandon Williams (10) brings the ball up court against the Memphis Grizzlies during the first quarter at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

The Mavericks have the fourth-toughest schedule remaining.

Weakest opponents: Pelicans, Grizzlies, Bulls and Bucks.

Memphis

The Grizzlies have the second-toughest schedule remaining.

Weakest opponents: Nets, Jazz, Mavericks, Bulls (twice) and Bucks.

With several of these teams facing each other down the stretch, there will be plenty of games that directly impact the Pacers’ draft position.

Among the bottom nine teams in the standings, the remaining strength of schedule ranks as follows:

1) Memphis
2) Dallas
3) Indiana
4) Washington
5) New Orleans
6) Chicago
7) Utah
8) Brooklyn
9) Sacramento

Memphis and Dallas are the only teams with tougher remaining schedules than Indiana. However, both teams already have at least 21 wins this season, while the Pacers currently sit at 15.

Key Games to Watch

Several upcoming matchups between bottom-tier teams will play a major role in shaping the lottery race. The classic “someone has to win” scenarios.

Washington vs. Brooklyn
Washington vs. Utah (twice)
Utah vs. Sacramento
Brooklyn vs. Sacramento (twice)
Brooklyn vs. Indiana
Sacramento vs. Indiana

Sacramento and Brooklyn each have four games remaining against teams currently in the bottom five. Utah and Washington have three, while Indiana has just two.

That difference is significant for the Pacers, as wins by those other teams effectively help Indiana’s lottery position.

Catching Sacramento for the No. 1 spot in the inverse standings will be difficult, but it remains possible.

Indiana also released their injury report Tuesday night. Aaron Nesmith, Pascal Siakam and Andrew Nembhard were all listed as questionable for Wednesday’s game, after previously being listed as doubtful or out.

As the Pacers get healthier, it will be interesting to see how head coach Rick Carlisle manages minutes down the stretch. Still, with many remaining games against teams with playoff aspirations, wins may be difficult to come by regardless of who is available.

For Indiana, the final stretch of the season is ultimately about positioning — and attempting to retain its 2026 first-round pick, which the Pacers will keep only if it lands between picks 1–4 or 10–30.