Pacers come up just short against Phoenix Suns to end road trip
The Indiana Pacers were in Phoenix on Sunday night to take on the red-hot Suns. The Pacers were wrapping up a six-game long road trip and were without All-Star guard Tyrese Haliburton, so things were going to be difficult.
It was also only the second time Indiana had Pascal Siakam in the lineup since they acquired him via trade a few days prior. He played well in his debut, but the team is still working on integrating the star forward into the lineup.
Early in the game, the Pacers were doing well to keep up with the high-powered Suns offense. They were ahead 6-5 after two-and-a-half minutes — their starting five was doing well to spread out and share the ball.
But Phoenix was prepared and answered. They quickly went on an 8-2 run and re-established control of the game. Without Haliburton, Indiana didn't appear to have enough firepower to keep up early, and their defense wasn't good enough.
A dunk from Devin Booker on the Suns next possession led to a timeout from Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle. His team was already down seven and needed to talk things over.
The stoppage didn't slow down the Suns. They jumped ahead 22-8 shortly after and were dominating the game in every way. Carlisle called another timeout at that point. It was a 17-2 Suns run.
This time, Indiana responded. They hit consecutive three-point shots to stop the bleeding and cut the advantage down to eight. The blue and gold finally looked comfortable again.
Indiana managed to keep the game relatively close down the stretch of the opening quarter, but they weren't able to get the lead back. Jalen Smith hit some big shots and Andrew Nembhard was playing solid defense on Booker during those moments.
The Suns were ahead 33-25 after the first quarter. Their big run was the story of the game to that point. Smith led the Pacers with eight points. Booker had 12.
Period number two opened with great play from Indiana, who went on a 9-0 run into under two minutes to take the lead back. Smith was playing fantastic basketball. He knocked down a tough midrange shot and a three in that span, and his rim defense was effective.
The home team took a timeout at that point, and they were much better exiting that break. The game then turned into a back and forth affair — Indiana's bench was fantastic and kept them in the game.
Halfway through the second quarter, the game was tied at 46. The Pacers were riding some of their reserves for longer than normal since that group was clicking. They earned the extra time they were receiving.
Kevin Durant got rolling around that point. He got up to 17 points at that time to give the Suns a five-point lead. As the former MVP typically does, he knocked down some shots that are almost unguardable.
His surge coincided with a Suns run. They went up by 10 with 2:28 to go in the second quarter as Bennedict Mathurin re-entered the game for the Pacers. They needed to score and chip into the lead before halftime.
The new-look unit did well, cutting the lead to five quickly. The Suns had answers, but the blue and gold were able to stabilize a bit before the half. It was meaningful given the flow of the game to that point.
Entering halftime, the score was 65-61 Phoenix. Durant had 20 points at the time while Smith led the way for Indiana with 13.
The second half started off with even play at first, but the Suns quickly found their footing and were up by eight with eight minutes left in the third quarter. Both teams were having consistent success offensively but couldn't get stops.
With just under seven minutes left in the frame, Siakam committed his fourth foul of the game for the Pacers. Indiana needed him on the floor — he had 11 points and five assists at the time and was playing an important defensive role. That violation was a significant moment.
On the Suns very next possession, they hit a three and went up by 10 points. That entire stretch was big for momentum, though Siakam scored on the ensuing trip down the floor for Indiana.
Phoenix held their 10-point lead for several minutes, and that was still the difference as Carlisle called a timeout with 1:55 to go in period number three. His bench wasn't as effective to that point in the second half compared to the first.
The stoppage helped. Indiana cut the lead down to six quickly, and they trailed by eight entering the final quarter. Smith and Durant were still leading their teams in scoring with 15 and 27, respectively.
It was 91-83 at the time. The fourth period was going to need to be great for the Pacers if Indiana was going to win.
They were fantastic in the first few minutes. Rookie forward Jarace Walker was making important plays on both ends of the floor, and the Pacers as a whole were defending well. They cut the lead to 97-94.
Once again, the Suns responded. Their stars were great throughout the night and made it difficult for the Pacers to make a full comeback. Having three of them rostered means Phoenix can always have one star player on the court.
The Pacers kept fighting, though, and cut the lead down to one. Indiana's bench was playing effective, forceful basketball, and it was making life hard on Phoenix. The final 5.5 minutes were going to be a battle.
Both teams went cold for the next two minutes, but the Pacers finally ended a long drought via a three-point shot by Buddy Hield with 3:20 to go. Indiana led 105-103 at the time, their first lead since early in the second quarter.
Durant had an answer for Phoenix. He drilled a three of his own to give the Suns the lead back. The final three minutes were set up for an epic finish.
The Suns were able to balloon their lead up to four with under 100 seconds to go as Aaron Nesmith went to the foul line for Indiana. The Pacers weren't getting enough stops late, but they still had a chance late if they played solid basketball.
Nesmith, as was a theme in this game for the blue and gold, didn't hit both free throws. He split the pair, and Phoenix scored on the other end to go up by five. It was a significant sequence in the final minutes.
The Pacers were down five with the ball late when Nembhard committed an untimely turnover with 26 seconds left on the clock. That was the final blow. Despite a strong effort to comeback, the Pacers were going to come up short.
The final score was 117-110 in favor of the Suns. Durant finished with 40 points and dominated the game.
Indiana fell to 24-19 with the loss. They wrapped up their six-game road trip with a 2-4 record. Hield led the way for the Pacers with 18 points. Smith and Siakam each had 15.
The Pacers return home on Tuesday and host the Denver Nuggets.
- Pascal Siakam debuted and Tyrese Haliburton returned, but the Indiana Pacers epic night was spoiled. CLICK HERE.
- Report: Pacers assembling potential trade packages around Buddy Hield and future first-round draft pick. 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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