Notebook: Pacers bounce back in Boston, but the need for consistency remains
From the Pacers' worst showing of the season to one of their best in a span of 48 hours. Plus, Mathurin family serving up dishes, Dec. improvements, injury updates to close the year, s/o Donnie & more
The Pacers are fortunate that their friends over on W. 56th St are not in a good spot.
It’s been a rough season for the Indianapolis Colts, punctuated by an embarrassing Sunday loss to the New York Giants, a team that had won only two games (and none at home) until they surpassed 30 points for the first time all season to beat the Colts, whose season was on life support, 45-33.
Head coach Shane Steichen may turn out to be a fantastic coach, but he’s continued to make mistakes in front of reporters as team spokesman.
First of all, you know a team is not in a good spot when the coach is fielding questions about culture, team standards, and what former players are saying about the team. My friend
asked about Pat McAfee’s detailed thoughts centering on accountability and the current group failing to even show up on time for treatment and meetings.I think with any team, not everyone is going to be on time every time, but there is accountability, and guys are held to a standard, and that is talked about in house.
That from Steichen is alarming.
I bring this up because 1) more accountability is needed for all pro sports teams in this city and 2) all attention is on the Colts’ failures this season and in the past decade.
Which means the three Indy sports talk shows, along with sports fans on social media, aren’t talking about the Pacers’ embarrassing 37-point loss in Boston on Friday, 142-105.
The Pacers were on a back-to-back and without Andrew Nembhard, Aaron Nesmith, and Obi Toppin. More often, however, it’s not that they lost but how they lost.
They gave up 39-point quarters to start and finish the game. 6-foot-6 guard Jaylen Brown erupted for 44 points, they made more than twice as many 3s (23 to 11), and dominated the glass (+13). The numbers don’t even tell the full story.
The positive side of all this is how they responded 48 hours later.
A day off in Beantown on Saturday was good for this group. Nembhard returned after being held out for injury management with his knee and he continues to be the difference maker at both ends. He finished just shy of a triple-double in Sunday’s 123-114 win — with 17 points, eight rebounds and eight assists.
How about Tyrese Haliburton as well? He played like the supermax player that he’s paid to be. He led them with 31 points, six rebounds and seven assists. And most interesting, nine of his 11 field goals were scored inside the paint. He wasn’t settling or deferring, but instead attacking and creating.
He’s not the best playmaker on the team, but too often he’s passive and not in attack-mode. It’s a balance he’s been trying to find since Day 1 in Indy.
That was the Haliburton the Pacers need — agile, deceptive, challenging multiple defenders, and setting up teammates. He was so good that nobody has even mentioned how he was 1 for 6 from distance, which is just fine when he does all the other stuff. He’s fallen in a nasty habit of being too dependent on his outside shot.
In addition to his points in the paint, Haliburton was also 8 of 9 at the foul line — his second-highest attempts of the season. He’s averaging 3.1 attempts per game, a career-low since he joined the Pacers. To be 3x that number highlights a productive day off, decisive mindset, and good in-game instincts.
More of that.
With Toppin sidelined, second-year forward Jarace Walker is stepping up nicely and continuing to gain confidence with more regular minutes. Both he and Bennedict Mathurin have been bright spots during this early portion of the season when they’ve been without Nesmith and Nembhard.
The Pacers have faced the defending champs three times this season and now defeated them twice. It demonstrates their possibilities, even while undermanned, although far more is learned in blow-out performances like we saw on Friday.
That was soon covered up on Sunday by a win and a brutal Colts loss, which ended their season.
More consistency is needed from this group.
Now, the Pacers have won six of their last eight games, including a five-game win streak that ended last Thursday against OKC. They wrap up 2024 with their usual matinee on New Year’s Eve against the Milwaukee Bucks at 3 p.m. ET.
Discussed in this story: Bennedict Mathurin, Andrew Nembhard, Aaron Nesmith, Donnie Walsh, Klay Thompson, Haliburton and WWE, Michael Grady, Stephanie White, Mike Brown, Erik Spoelstra, Tamika Catchings, Warriors PR, Calbert Cheaney, Chris Taylor.
Mathurin Family Serving up Haitian Food on NYE
Bennedict Mathurin’s older sister (Jen) and mom will be serving as guest chefs for Tuesday’s game. They will be serving Haitian dishes in section 117 as part of Haiti’s 221st year of freedom, Jen noted on Instagram.
The Pacers are also having local Haitian singer Enock Bordes handle the national anthem before tip off.
A small, simple touch that goes a long way for Benn and his family.
What a Difference One Month Makes
The Pacers were 9-11 after November. They’re 7-8 in December and the numbers, especially defensively, are much improved.
(From November to December)
Defensive rating: 24th to 19th
Opponent paint points: 26th (52.3) to 17th (48.3)
Points allowed: 117.4 to 114.7
Fastbreak points: 5th (17.4) to 14th (16.1)
Turnovers: 11th (14.1) to 6th (13.4)
Points: 13th (114) to 12th (115.2)
Rebounds: 28th to 21st
Assists: 11th (27.1) to 9th (28.2)
In summary, they’ve 1) gotten better defensively, 2) taken more care of the ball, 3) done a better job of rebounding, and 4) won on the road. Their pace ranks the same, as does their points scored in transition.
After their game on Tuesday, they have a run of nine more games until their international trip to Paris to face the Spurs twice — five at home, four on the road.
Injury Update to Close 2024
Forward Obi Toppin is listed as questionable for the second straight game after he suffered a left ankle sprain last week, which has kept him out of two games, one more than he missed in his first 114 games since being acquired by the team in July 2023.
The fact that he’s questionable is a positive because he was clearly in pain and didn’t feel comfortable returning against the Thunder. He’s durable and hates missing time.
Khris Middleton is probable and Giannis Antetokounmpo is questionable for the Bucks’ matinee in Indy.
Meanwhile, Pacers wing Aaron Nesmith’s long-awaited return won’t come until 2025.