Three takeaways as Indiana Pacers lose in Phoenix for seventh straight loss

by Arthur · January 21, 2023

The Indiana Pacers are playing the worst basketball they have played in a while right now. On Saturday night, they struggled against the Phoenix Suns, who were missing, among others, Devin Booker, Chris Paul and Deandre Ayton. Still, the Pacers couldn’t take advantage and win.

They were there all night. Phoenix and Indiana both struggled to gain control of the duel as there were 16 lead changes. The longest run was just 10. It was a back and forth affair.

That style of play suits the team that shoots better from the field, and in this game it was Phoenix. They knocked down 41.8% of their looks compared to Indiana’s 38.3%, which set them up better to eventually put the game away.

The Pacers changed the starting lineup in this game, moving TJ McConnell into the starting unit. This change helped as the Pacers’ starting five was +1 for the night, but it meant Indiana’s bench units were weaker or different. The Pacers second unit shot 12/31.

In the end, the Pacers ended the game with a similar lineup to their starting five, but instead had Bennedict Mathurin in for Andrew Nembhard. That group made a push and cut an eight-point Phoenix lead down to as low as two, but the Pacers never hit a shot that would have either tied the game or given them the lead.

“Indiana, today was their second game of a back-to-back and they played us wire to wire,” Suns forward Josh Okogie said after the game. He finished with 24 points and 10 rebounds and said Phoenix’s early defense set the tone.

The final score was 112-107. It was the seventh straight loss for the Pacers, who were 23-18 at the half, but now stand at 23-25. They are two games under .500 for the first time since going 3-5 on Halloween.

Indiana needed a court victory in the worst way. They’ll still be without star guard Tyrese Haliburton for at least another 10 days or so, so any wins they can get in the meantime with him out will be helpful. Tonight they had a chance but couldn’t quite make it.

There was more upside for the Pacers in this game as they kept it close, but their takeaways still show they have things to improve on as they look to end this losing streak.

The Pacers can’t make shots right now

Indiana shot 36/96 in this game, good for 37.5%. It was the sixth time this season that the Pacers shot below 40% in a game, and they have lost all six of those games.

Three of those six outings have come in the past nine days. The Blue-Gold offense has been significantly worse of late, and some of that is due to Haliburton being out. But some of that is due to poor shooting from inside the arc as shots closer to the basket have not gone down.

At the simplest level of thinking about basketball, a team has to make shots to win. The Pacers aren’t shooting right now. They have to find ways to create good looks and knock them down.

Indiana had too many mistakes

The Pacers committed 29 fouls in this game, their third most in a single game this season. It was just the sixth time the blue and gold have hacked the opposition more than 26 times in a night. They are 0-6 in those games.

Some of the Pacers’ mistakes came as a result of the Suns’ relentless offense. They are expected. Others came after a defensive breakdown where the Pacers were forced to recover and fouled to slow a Phoenix player. Those moments cannot happen.

The Suns had 35 free throw attempts on the night. Although they only put down 24, the Pacers’ fouls really hurt their chances in this game.

TJ McConnell had an excellent outing

Less than a week after a career night in Milwaukee, TJ McConnell had another excellent outing for the Pacers. The veteran guard played as a starter for the first time of the season and finished with a triple-double – he had 18 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists.

It’s just the third triple-double for McConnell in the NBA and his second with the Pacers. His first with Indiana was actually a point-assist-steals triple-double. Tonight was just the third time in McConnell’s career that he grabbed 10+ rebounds in a game.

The eight-year pro has been one of the Pacers’ best players during their ongoing losing streak. They will need more such performances from the 30-year-old if they want to finally get back into the winning column.