Three takeaways as Indiana Pacers look flat and slow in loss to Oklahoma City Thunder
Without Tyrese Haliburton, the Indiana Pacers just aren't the same team. That has been the case for the last week since Haliburton's injury, and it remained the case tonight in the Pacers battle with the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The Pacers looked awful for much of the night. The game started about as poorly as it possibly could for the blue and gold with the Thunder jumping out to a 17-1 lead in the first 3:30 of the action. Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle was forced to make three substitutions early, and Oklahoma City never looked back.
"The first 5 minutes of the game is the most important," Thunder forward Kenrich Williams said after the game on the Bally Sports Oklahoma broadcast. OKC led 19-6 after five minutes.
The rest of the way, the game was roughly an even battle. But the Thunder had already set the tone, so it didn't matter that the Pacers made some valiant runs. Oklahoma City had all the control. A 17-4 second quarter run from the Pacers would have been more impressive had it changed the game, but OKC maintained its lead and responded with a run of their own, carrying a 14-point lead into halftime.
The Thunder then scored 42 points in the third quarter to put the game away. The Pacers defense looked awful for much of the evening and watched as OKC tossed around 40 assists, which is tied for a franchise record.
The Pacers didn't look like themselves. Their starting five had a rough night, their transition play was nonexistent, and they coughed up 23 turnovers. It's nearly impossible to win that way.
Despite a decent game from Andrew Nembhard and T.J. McConnell, the Pacers couldn't get it done. They fell 126-106 and have now lost five games in a row, and they are back to .500 at 23-23. They need a win, and they need it soon.
Their takeaways from this game relate to their big-picture play of late. The Pacers just don't look right.
The Pacers miss Tyrese Haliburton
Tyrese Haliburton might just be an All-Star this season, so of course the Pacers will be worse without him. But they have looked downright miserable in his absence since he injured his elbow and knee last week against the Knicks.
The Pacers are now 1-5 without Haliburton this season, and their offense looks markedly different without him. They can't run in transition as effectively, they struggle to generate good threes, and their general timing is worse. Much of their identity is gone without their All-Star level talent.
They will be without him for at least another week, so the Pacers need to find some solutions. Perhaps they need to slow down a bit or change their temporary starting lineup. Either way, they miss Haliburton in a big way. Look no further than their losing streak since his injury.
Indiana has a problem giving up runs
Another issue since Haliburton's injury for the Pacers has been the ability to stop big runs. It's costing them games.
They gave up a 14-0 run against Atlanta last Friday in a two-point loss. The next night, Memphis had a stretch outscoring the Pacers 29-9 in the second quarter, and they went on to win by 18. The Bucks had a 27-12 fourth quarter run on Monday before beating the Pacers by 13, and now the Thunder started off this game up 17-1.
Every night, the Pacers get in these funks that they can't stop. "We have to be more locked in and have a 'next play' mentality and get back," Pacers guard T.J. McConnell said last week of slowing runs from opponents. The Pacers must be consistently better for 48 minutes if they want to get back to their winning ways.
Trevelin Queen was a bright spot
A few Pacers players had decent enough outings, but compared to their usual expectations one player stood out: Trevelin Queen.
Queen is on a two-way contract and was making just his fourth appearance of the season for the blue and gold. He had not reached 13 minutes played in a game all season.
Tonight, he was impressive. Queen finished with 13 points (a season high), nine rebounds (a career high), one assist, one steal, and three blocks (a career high). He played for over 23 minutes and was a +12. It was one of the best games of the 25-year old's career.
The Pacers may need him in upcoming games if they require juice on the wing, especially as Haliburton remains sidelined. Perhaps Queen could see more playing time in upcoming outings.
The Pacers will look to end their losing streak in Denver on Friday when they take on the Nuggets.
- Tyrese Haliburton suffers left knee bone contusion and left elbow sprain, will be out at least two weeks for the Indiana Pacers. CLICK HERE.
- Report: Goga Bitadze is the 'most likely' Indiana Pacers big man to be traded this season. CLICK HERE.
- Myles Turner has improved significantly this season. Just ask his former teammates and coaches. CLICK HERE.
- Indiana Pacers wing Chris Duarte breaks out of slump vs Memphis Grizzlies: 'I needed it.' CLICK HERE.
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