Three takeaways as Indiana Pacers defense crumbles in loss to Atlanta Hawks
All season long, the Indiana Pacers have been a better second half team than first half team. But nobody would know that by watching them this weekend.
Against the Boston Celtics on Friday night, Indiana gave up 60 second half points and were outscored by 20 in the final two frames. They lost by 25. Tonight, as the Pacers were battling the Hawks in Atlanta, they led 74-72 at halftime but had an equally atrocious second half — the Hawks won the third and fourth quarters 71-56.
The Pacers had absolutely no answers for anything Atlanta was doing on Saturday. The fewest points the Hawks scored in a single quarter throughout the game was 33, and they nearly reached 40 in both the first and fourth quarters. Even without Trae Young, who was ejected in the third frame, for nearly half the game, the Hawks looked unstoppable.
They shot 55.2% from the field and buried half of their threes. Eight different players reached double-digit point totals. The Pacers defense was awful all night, and it cost them a win.
The final score was 143-130. Indiana's offense was solid as they had 33 assists and got to the rim often. They looked connected and were moving the ball around well, which led to eight players scoring 10 or more points. On most nights, the Pacers offensive output in this game would have been enough to win.
But it wasn't on Saturday as Atlanta walked away with a 13-point victory. The Pacers defense was abysmal as they fell to 33-42 with the loss, securing their third-straight losing season.
Indiana is now three games out of the final play-in spot in the Eastern Conference with seven games to play. Their postseason hopes are hanging on by a thread with two weeks to go in the season.
The Pacers takeaways from Atlanta are all about defense, where the blue and gold have struggled of late.
Indiana couldn't stop Atlanta
143 points is the second-most that the Pacers have given up in a game this season. They are 0-11 when they concede more than 130 points in a game and just 2-16 when allowing more than 125.
The blue and gold must get more stops if they want to win. The Hawks scored 78 points in the paint with little resistance, drilled 50% of their outside shots, and attempted 25 free throws. That's a losing formula for Indiana. They didn't slow down anything.
Since the All-Star break, the Pacers have been the third-worst defense in the NBA. They must get more stops if they want to win more games.
The Pacers missed Myles Turner
Myles Turner missed this game with a sore back. Indiana was playing their second battle in two nights, and Turner was not able to play in both.
The Pacers desperately missed their rim protector in this game. The Hawks scored in the paint easily, and Turner's pick-and-roll defense abilities would have been huge against an Atlanta team that loves to attack the paint.
Turner would have been helpful on offense, too, as he would have made life more difficult on Hawks center Clint Capela, who finished with 17 points and 17 rebounds. Indiana would have fared better with Turner in this game, but they didn't have him.
Jordan Nwora had an unforgettable night
Jordan Nwora finished with his second-ever 30-point game in the NBA as he finished with 33. His previous best with the Pacers was 20 points, but he was unbelievable on Saturday.
The 24-year old forward went 12/18 from the field, 4/7 from deep, and 5/5 from the foul line. He did a little bit of everything to keep the second unit's offense afloat for stretches of this game, and the Hawks had no answers.
Nwora scored 25 of his points in the second quarter. That was a Pacers franchise record for points in one quarter during a regular season game, and it gave Indiana a halftime lead. It wasn't enough in the end, but Nwora was excellent against the Hawks.
The Pacers return home on Monday and host the Dallas Mavericks.
- One-on-one with Fort Wayne Mad Ants guard and former top-10 pick Elfrid Payton. CLICK HERE.
- Jordan Nwora sets Indiana Pacers regular season franchise record for points in one quarter with 25. CLICK HERE.
- Indiana Pacers make NBA history as three Canadian players start together for the first time ever. CLICK HERE.
- What would the play-in tournament mean for the Indiana Pacers? 'That's everyone in this locker room's goal.' CLICK HERE.
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