Indiana Pacers outclassed by Detroit Pistons in 20-point road loss
The Indiana Pacers kept it close with the Detroit Pistons for about five minutes on Monday night. That was it. The Pacers trailed 11-8 after 5:10 of action, and then the Pistons went on a 27-12 run to close the quarter. They were playing with more force, grabbing rebounds, and making hustle plays.
They continued to do that and expanded their lead in the second quarter. At their lowest point, the Pacers trailed 57-26 in the middle of the frame. Detroit dominated early, and the shorthanded Pacers never quite looked like themselves.
"Got down big in the first," Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said after the game. He said the Pacers didn't play as hard as the PIstons.
For a few moments, Indiana looked like they had some life. They closed the half strong and were down by just 18 at the break. The lead was slashed to 12 early in the third quarter. The blue and gold did look like they had some momentum with roughly 22 minutes to go.
But Pistons guard Cory Joseph snatched it all away with a fadeaway three at the buzzer of the shot clock, and Detroit proceeded to go on a 13-0 run. They kept their lead above 20 for a while and looked like the more talented team again.
The Pacers showed some life in the middle of the fourth and cut into the lead again, spearheaded by a good run from the reserves. They got the deficit as close as 16. But it was too little, too late, and the Pistons held on to win 117-97.
"The difference in the game... was obvious, and that was just the edge that they played with from start to finish. We just simply did not match it," Carlisle said.
In essentially every aspect of the game, Detroit looked to be the superior team. They shot better from deep and from the foul line, percentage wise. They dominated the glass and snagged 10 more rebounds. They finished with more assists and the same number of turnovers. They checked all the boxes of a good performance and snapped an 11-game losing streak while ending a Pacers two-game winning-streak.
The Pacers could have moved into tenth place in the Eastern Conference with a win, but they remain just outside the play-in race with 13 games to go.
Indiana was forced to adjust without key players. Tyrese Haliburton, Myles Turner, Bennedict Mathurin, and T.J. McConnell were all out for this game, and they all play a key role for the blue and gold. Without them, several players were in a different role or played a different position than they usually do.
Jordan Nwora played a season-high (for the Pacers) 31 minutes. Oshae Brissett and Andrew Nembhard were close to their season-high in playing time. George Hill has only been in the Pacers rotation four times this season, and he played for over 15 minutes. This group found a way to win on Saturday, but it's hard to do that twice in a row.
"It's always tough to beat a team two times in a row," Pacers wing Aaron Nesmith said after the game.
The Pacers leading scorer was Jordan Nwora, who finished with 20 points after dropping 14 in the fourth quarter. The blue and gold put the ball in his hands more in this game, and he took advantage of the opportunity.
Andrew Nembhard put together a second consecutive solid outing with 15 points and seven assists. He has been getting more reps at point guard with Haliburton and McConnell out.
"Obviously," Nembhard said when asked if playing the one is valuable. "The value is just in me getting reps and being able to be a playmaker."
Nesmith finished with 15 points and six rebounds. Isaiah Jackson (11 points) and Chris Duarte (12) both reached double figures, though Duarte left the game early with an ankle injury.
The Pacers are now 31-38, which puts them in 12th in the East. They are one game behind the 10th seeded Chicago Bulls, though Chicago has more games remaining than Indiana. The Pacers hold the tiebreaker between the two teams.
The blue and gold will look to get back on track on Thursday in Milwaukee, where they have struggled to win recently. They travel to take on the Bucks this Thursday.
- Bennedict Mathurin is not expected to play against the Detroit Pistons with an ankle sprain. CLICK HERE.
- Aaron Nesmith put in the extra work with the Boston Celtics. It's paying off for the Indiana Pacers. CLICK HERE.
- AllPacers goes one-on-one with new Indiana Pacers forward Jordan Nwora, CLICK HERE, and guard Trevelin Queen. CLICK HERE.
- Actor and comedian Will Ferrell attends Indiana Pacers game vs Philadelphia 76ers. CLICK HERE.
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