Paolo Banchero erupts for 50-piece, Pacers go 1-3 in first week
The Pacers made progress Monday on the second night of a back-to-back, but they failed to contain a big wing and struggled to close late in 119-115 loss to Magic.
In order to take a jump this season, we’re all looking to the defensive end.
“We do have an identity offensively and we know we got a lot of guys that can score and we have a great system around us and we've built an amazing system here offensively,” guard Tyrese Haliburton said before opening night.
“But we know our jump is gonna be on the defense side of the ball and if we can make a leap there, things will change.”
The Pacers finished 24th in defense last season and through the first four games, they rank 22nd.
One night after 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey piled up 45 points, Magic forward Paolo Banchero went off for a career-high 50 points, including 37 in the first half.
The Pacers’ rotation was shuffled, the offense was better, and they took better care of the ball. But several of their problems persisted, beginning with the defensive side of the ball. For years now, the Pacers are in trouble when facing big wings. That was Banchero, who on this night looked like an All-NBA performer.
Banchero (11) and guard Jalen Suggs (12), who made his first five 3-point attempts, combined for the Magic’s first 23 points. They grew their lead to 13 in the second as Banchero scored half of the Magic’s 36 points in the quarter.
The Pacers (1-3) used a 39-point quarter out of the halftime break — including a 20-3 run — to take a five-point advantage into the final stanza. Banchero was tired. He attempted 26 shots and 22 free throws. On top of that, starting wing Franz Wagner didn’t play in the second half due to an illness that’s bothered him in recent days.
The Pacers led 105-97 with eight minutes left, then were outscored 22-7 the rest of the way. The offense slowed, Banchero could not be contained and he finished with a 50-burger in a 119-115 Pacers loss.