INDIANAPOLIS — With eight minutes to go in Wednesday’s game, the Pacers seemingly had every possible reason to check out and call it an evening.
They were down 22 points to a Lakers team that had won nine of its previous 10 games with a superstar in Luka Doncic who had already cracked 30 points for the 11th straight game and was shooting for 40. As the team with the worst record in NBA, the Pacers have more material motivation to lose than win, so it seemed advisable to just let this one go.
Instead, they kept their rotation players in, scored 34 points with remarkable efficiency in those last eight minutes and matched their highest-scoring quarter of the season with 45. It wasn’t enough for them to win, but it was enough for them to get as close as six points with 28 seconds to go to make the Lakers just a touch nervous before Los Angeles put the game away 137-130.
Ultimately, the Pacers could never overcome a 10-0 deficit to start the game or a 45-28 Lakers lead at the end of the first quarter, but on their way to a 16-57 record that still puts them in dead last in the NBA and keeps them in position for the best possible lottery odds, they played a brand of offensive basketball that served as a reminder of who they were before this cursed season and who they could be again when next year begins.
For the game, the Pacers shot 55.8% from the floor and 41% from 3-point range, knocking down 16 3s on 39 attempts. They were also 18 of 23 at the line and registered 35 assists on 48 field goals. They scored 54 points in the paint and 23 on fast-breaks, showing off the speed, creativity and connectivity that made them one of the most dangerous offensive teams from 2022-25, a period that included two trips to the Eastern Conference Finals and one to the NBA Finals.
“We obviously haven’t had our full roster together for much this year,” veteran point guard T.J. McConnell said. “But it’s good to still see the identity that we have set here still intact and people still playing unselfishly.”
Pacers coach Rick Carlisle didn’t seem to have much interest on Wednesday in discussing the better parts of his offense. He was more concerned about the 18 turnovers the Pacers committed and their problems on the defensive end. They allowed the Lakers to shoot 56.2% from the floor and to score 70 points in the paint, making them the third straight Pacers opponent to score at least 60 points in the lane and the second in the last three games to crack 70.
“For the most part we’ve moved the ball pretty well and we’ve shot it better,” Carlisle said. “But it’s nothing to pat yourself on the back about when you’re giving up this many points.”
That said, at this point, anything that gives the Pacers something as it heads towards a long offseason is worth mentioning.
On Monday, the Pacers broke a franchise record 16-game losing streak with a win over the Magic in Orlando, playing a nine-man rotation that included six players who were part of the Pacers’ playoff rotation last season and seven who played at least some meaningful minutes in the Finals run. On Wednesday, they extended the bench a little more and played 11, but the same nine were the only ones who played 10 minutes or more.
As Carlisle said, the point is to create at least some level of postseason feel when the Pacers know they don’t have a postseason ahead. Starting with the Lakers, eight of their final 10 opponents are either in playoff or play-in round position.
Since the Paces have the league’s worst record with three fewer losses than the Sacramento Kings, the fourth-worst team, they can afford to push it a little as the season heads towards its end because their draft lottery odds are the same whether they finish with the first-, second- or third-worst record because the NBA flattened those draft odds in 2019.
“We want meaningful competition,” Carlisle said. “It’s important. The feeling that our players experienced in the Orlando game of that high level of competition. The feeling of winning when you’ve gone through a string of losses, it’s important to just be a part of that. With, whatever it is, 10 games left, just about everybody we’re playing is in the thick of it. For some kind of playoff positioning, standings, this that and the other. There’s a lot going on.”
The Pacers have shot at least 50% from the floor and at least 41% from 3-point range while scoring at least 110 points six straight games. They’ve lost five of those six, but in that period they rank seventh in the NBA in scoring (121.5 points per game), first in field goal percentage (.527), first in 3-point percentage (.454) and second in assists (33.7 per game). They’re also fourth in offensive rating, posting 123.1 points per 100 possessions. Those numbers are dramatically better than their full season numbers as they rank 27th in scoring and field goal percentage, 20th in 3-point field goal percentage and 29th in offensive rating. In the same stretch, they’re also dead last in defensive rating and 29th opponent scoring, but the offensive improvement still matters.
The dramatic uptick has a lot to do with the Pacers being healthier. Pascal Siakam has played in the last three games after missing time with a right knee sprain. Andew Nembhard has fought off bouts of lower back soreness. Obi Toppin is slowly getting worked back in after missing four months with a stress fracture in his right foot. McConnell has missed games with a hamstring strain and Aaron Nesmith has missed time with a variety of ailments.
“I think the ball movement has been solid,” Nembhard said. “When we’re doing it the right way, our ball movement is solid. We’re playing with good pace. Guys are getting to the corners, running to the rim. We’re getting stops that fuel our offense.”
When it’s worked well, they’re getting balanced offense. On Wednesday, they put eight players in double figures. They’re getting steady production from Siakam, who scored 20 points on Wednesday for his 46th 20-plus point game this season in 58 appearances. They’re also getting better work from both Nembhard and McConnell. McConnell scored 17 points on Wednesday on 8 of 10 shooting and Nembhard had 14 points and a career-high 19 assists after he had 14 assists in Monday’s game.
“When we’ve had everyone back, you see the identity,” McConnell said. “I’ve gotta credit the coaching staff for continuing to preach that and us going out there and implementing that. We’re not going to change who we are. Obviously it’s been a tough year, but as guys get back you see the identity that we still set.”
Dustin Dopirak covers the Pacers all season. Get more coverage on IndyStarTV and with the Pacers Insider newsletter.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Even with season’s outcome decided, Pacers return to offensive identity
Reporting by Dustin Dopirak, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
