10 thoughts: Pacers lethargic effort leads to worst loss of the season

Breaking down how the Indiana Pacers lost 137-123 to the Washington Wizards, Christmas Song Edition.

Dec 16, 2023

Photo Credit: Tommy Gilligan - USA TODAY Sports

Playing to the level of their competition has been the M.O. of the Pacers this season. They defeated the 76ers on the road; took care of Miami on the road without Haliburton; defeated the Celtics and Bucks to get to the In-Season Tournament Championship Game, but then lose games to teams like the Washington Wizards, Portland Trail Blazers, Charlotte Hornets and the Chicago Bulls. It’s the NBA and losses are going to happen, but far too often playing to the level of their competition is a reoccurring issue for the Pacers.

After falling to the 4-12 Portland Trail Blazers, 114-110 on November 27th, players were asked about losing to teams with worse records than them. Bruce Brown had this to say:

“We’ve had some tough losses to teams that we should beat. Our record should be way better than it is now. We just have to focus better against the teams with the not-so-great record, we just gotta be better on those nights.”

Entering Friday’s game, Washington was on a 6-game losing streak and had the 2nd worst record in the East and the 3rd worst record in the NBA. There are zero excuses for the Pacers efforts in this one. If this type of loss were a one-off, there is no reason to overtalk this point. However, you can’t have multiple bad losses on your résumé if you have hopes to make the playoffs and want to be taken seriously.

Since it is the holiday season, I have decided to tie my 10 thoughts on this game to Christmas songs. Is this gimmicky? One hundred percent it is. However, the season is long, and I wanted to change things up a bit. So, lets dive in.

1). Warm In December - Isaiah Jackson

Let’s start off with one of the only bright spots of tonight’s game. Isaiah Jackson was balling in this one. He played just under 20-minutes and went 10-13 from the field for 20-points and also corralled 13-rebounds. Jackson wore a face mask after taking a nasty elbow to the face from Bobby Portis in Wednesday’s game against Milwaukee. The mask had no impact on how he played.

With how well Jackson played in this one, I was surprised Carlisle didn’t play him closer to 25-minutes with how well he was performing. His energy was there all game long, and he was finding ways to positively impact the game. This has been the case for Jackson since getting the opportunity to play more.

In the last 5-games that Jackson has played 10+ minutes in, he is averaging 12-points per game, 6.4-rebounds per game, 1.4-blocks per game and is a +11 overall. With the injury to Jalen Smith, Isaiah has taken advantage of this opportunity and has showcased his growth on both ends of the floor.

2). All I Want For Christmas Is You (to play defense)

If there is one thing I want from the Pacers for Christmas this season, it’s for them to play some daggum defense. Indiana has surrendered at least 123-points to their opponents the last 4 games: 137-points to the Washington Wizards, 140-points the Milwaukee Bucks, 123-points to the Detroit Pistons and 123-points to the Los Angeles Lakers.

Indiana wants to outscore their opponents and their pace of play is part of the reason they struggle to get stops, but that’s just another excuse for what’s really happening. They don’t have the personnel to consistently defend well. During media availability in Las Vegas, Haliburton was annoyed about the media’s discussion on the Pacers lack of defense and basically said that everyone thinks they’re a genius saying we need to be better defensively.

No offense to Mr. Haliburton, but when the defense is as atrocious as it’s been, it’s a valid talking point. Everyone can sing the Pacers praises for their dynamic offense, but in order to take the next step as a team, they simply have to defend at a higher level.

Since Media Day, the Pacers biggest question was: “can they improve the defense”? The answer is clearly no. They are defending differently than last year by running teams off the 3-point line, and not playing as much help side in their pick-and-roll coverage, but that’s allowing for higher percentage shots at the rim with less resistance defensively. It’s an ongoing problem that won’t go away until they add more capable defenders to the roster.

3). Silent Night - Pacers dominated in final 3 quarters!

If the Pacers played in harmony like Michael, Nathan, Shawn and Wanya sing this song, they easily defeat the Wizards. However, they were absolutely dominated in every aspect of the game:

Points in the Paint: Washington 68, Indiana 56
Fast Break Points: Washington 26, Indiana 13
Rebounds: Washington 47, Indiana 41
3PT Shooting: Washington 48.1%, Indiana 37.5%
FG Percentage: Washington 56.5%, Indiana 44.9%
Free Throws: Washington 26, Indiana 16

When you lose in nearly every statistical category of the game, there is a 0-percent chance you win. Washington played hungry and more determined to win this game than the Pacers did. Shocking how much effort and attention to detail impacts a game.

After the 1st quarter, Indiana was outscored 107-86. The Wizards maintained a double-digit lead from 3:01 in the 2nd quarter until the game ended, with their highest lead being 24-points. Just a lethargic effort by a young Pacers team against an inferior opponent who dominated them after the first 12-minutes of play.

4). 12 Days of Christmas - Pacers give opposing frontcourt players every gift they could ask for.

In the song the 12 Days of Christmas, the “true love” gifted their person 364-gifts in total. That is a lot of gifts, and opposing frontcourt players are feasting when they face Indiana.

Kyle Kuzma torched the Pacers for 31-points on 11-23 shooting. He already had a solid game against Indiana on the opening night of the season, but this performance adds to the long list of Pacers opponents scoring on them at will. Let’s look at how things have gone since opening night:

Kyle Kuzma - 25 points on 50% shooting with 2 rebounds and 2 blocks
Evan Mobley - 23.5 points on 54.3% shooting, 12 rebounds, 3.5 blocks and 4.0 assists
Jayson Tatum - 30 points on 60% shooting, 12 rebounds and 4 assists
Gordon Hayward - 23 points on 58.8% shooting, 6 rebounds and 3 assists
Lauri Markkanen - 24 points on 50% shooting, 9 rebounds and 1 block
Giannis Antetokounmpo - 54 points on 76% shooting, 12 rebounds and 3 assists
Tobias Harris - 20 points on 54.1% shooting, 8 rebounds and 3.5 assists
Paolo Banchero - 24 points, on 64.3% shooting, 3 rebounds and 2 blocks
Pascal Siakam - 36 points on 54.2% shooting, 10 rebounds and 4 assists
Jerami Grant - 34 points on 66.7% shooting, 7 rebounds and 3 blocks
Deandre Ayton - 22 points on 69.2% shooting, 13 rebounds and 1 steal
Jimmy Butler - 36 points on 47.3% shooting, 11 rebounds and 3 assists
Jimmy Butler - 33 points on 52.1% shooting, 5 rebounds and 5 assists
Jayson Tatum - 32 points on 50% shooting, 12 rebounds and 6 assists
Jaylen Brown - 30 points on 60.8% shooting, 9 rebounds and 2 blocks
Giannis Antetokounmpo - 37 points on 68.4% shooting, 10 rebounds and 2 assists
Anthony Davis - 41 points on 66.7% shooting, 20 rebounds and 4 blocks
LeBron James - 24 points on 47.6% shooting, 11 rebounds and 4 assists
Giannis Antetokounmpo - 64 points on 71.4% shooting, 14 rebounds and 3 assists
Kyle Kuzma - 31 points on 47.8% shooting, 5 rebounds and 4 assists

The list will continue to grow until Indiana is able to address their front court defense. Obi Toppin is athletic and can defend at times, but he is inconsistent. Nesmith defends his tail off, but he’s only 6-foot and 5-inches tall. The Pacers need to add defensive minded big men to stop the damage.

5). (Everybody’s Waitin’ for) The Man with the Bag - Yes, Bruce Brown, that’s you.

Over the last 5-games Bruce Brown is averaging 7.6 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.4 assists. Thanks to being on the court against the Bucks when the Pacers waved the white flag and playing against the Pistons on Monday, Brown has managed to keep a plus-minus of 0 in this stretch.

He is not shooting the ball well at all (15-46 over the last 5-games) and aside from the games versus Detroit and Milwaukee this week, he has only had 3-assists. I like Bruce and was happy with the signing, but everybody is waiting for him to show why he was worth being paid the most of anyone on the team.

At his best, Bruce is a role player on a championship level team. On a team trying to make the playoffs for the first time since 2020, he has to be more than a role player. If he wasn’t missing so many open shots, you wouldn’t feel the weight of his recent play. He needs to be better so the Pacers can be better.

Nobody is expecting Brown to drop 30-points like he did on the road against Miami at the beginning of the month. But if he could contribute 15-points a night for the 31-minutes he is averaging per game, that would go a long way. For the season, Brown is averaging just 11.6 points per game. He has to be better, and the Pacers are paying him to be better.

6). Baby It’s Cold (From) Outside - How much worse can the 3-point shooting get?

Since the Pacers shot lights out against Miami on December 2nd, they have gone stone cold. The shooting woes are real, and I don’t know what they can do to break out of this slump. I thought Washington would be a great opportunity for them to find success from outside, but to no avail. Here are the shooting numbers for Indiana the last 5-games:

7-33 from 3 for 21.2% shooting versus the Bucks
10-41 from 3 for 24.4% shooting versus the Lakers
13-31 from 3 for 41.9% shooting versus the Pistons
11-36 from 3 for 30.6% shooting versus the Bucks
15-40 from 3 for 37.5% shooting versus the Wizards

Their best shooting nights came against the 2 worst teams in the Eastern Conference. The shooting is atrocious and for a team that takes a lot of shots from outside, that’s no bueno. Indiana needs to start connecting from distance in order for them to continue on their winning ways.

7). Cold December Night - An underwhelming performance from Myles Turner

Employee #33* (*as Mark Boyle would say) probably had his worst performance of the season against the Wizards. He shot 2-10 from the floor, only grabbed 4-rebounds and was a -17 in the game. Turner’s career high came in Washington where he scored 40-points on 15-22 shooting. This arena has been kind to Turner, but the Wizards have not been a good matchup for Myles.

Daniel Gafford is athletic and quick, which is different from most centers in the league. Turner isn’t a bruiser down low either, so this matchup might not be the most favorable for him. Regardless, Turner has to be much-much better, especially if he is the 2nd option for the Pacers offensively.

8). Please Come Home for Christmas - The effects of a 2-week road trip

While I refuse to make excuses for the Pacers and their efforts against Washington, I think the extended road trip is impacting their play. Facci always makes fun of me on the podcast for making the point that players get better rest when they’re in the comfort of their own bed, but it is a true statement. Anytime you go on vacation and stay in a hotel, the bed is fine, but nothing is more comforting than returning home to your own bed.

The schedule makers in the league didn’t do the Pacers a favor with the way the schedule played out and I think that will be one of the main tweaks with the In-Season Tournament. Nobody expected Indiana to get there, but essentially, this put Indiana on a 12-day road trip with 6-games to play.

I think the league should leave 10-days unscheduled to determine who will be in the bracket for the In-Season Tournament before the team’s head to Las Vegas. Schedule 78-games originally and add the remaining 4-games in afterward.

9). Kid on Christmas - Jarace FINALLY got to play!

Everyone wanted to see Jarace get some run in this game after the Pacers failed to find any group that had energy together. Finally, Rick Carlisle subbed him at the end of the 3rd quarter, and he played the rest of the game. Fans felt like a ‘Kid on Christmas’ being able to see Jarace finally get extended playing time.

While Jarace didn’t stuff the stat sheet, he had 5-points, 2-rebounds and shot 50% from the floor. He was a +8 in the game, the best of anyone on the team. In a game like this, Jarace probably should have seen the floor sooner. With that said, this was a great opportunity for him to get more minutes and he had some nice moments.

10). Holly Jolly Christmas - The ALWAYS smiling Ben Sheppard should’ve played more!

The Pacers entered the 4th quarter down by 21-points. Rick Carlisle elected to play Bruce Brown 2-minutes and 3-seconds as well as Buddy Hield 5-minutes and 46-seconds before subbing Ben Sheppard back into the game, after playing 4-minutes and 27-seconds in the first half. After Sheppard had a great showing Milwaukee, tonight was the night Sheppard should have played more.

Rick awarded Sheppard with minutes early on, but he wasn’t involved in the offense like he was in Milwaukee. For the game, Sheppard went just 0-1 from the field but had 3-assists. It would have been great to see Sheppard play the entire 4th quarter to get in solid game reps while the usual rotation looked sluggish.