In win over Chicago Bulls, Indiana Pacers continue to show growth on defensive end

The Pacers have raised their defensive level in recent games

CHICAGO — Across parts of the third and fourth quarters of their game against the Chicago Bulls on Thursday night, the Indiana Pacers gave up a 25-3 run. They didn't hit a single shot during that span, missing nearly 20 attempts in a row while Chicago surged. The Bulls were playing their best basketball of the game and held the blue and gold without a made field goal for nine minutes and 11 sections of action.

Finally, Indiana guard Andrew Nembhard hit a jumper to end the drought with 9:32 on the clock in the fourth quarter. It was a terrible stretch for the blue and gold — one of their worst nine-plus minute sequences of the entire 2023-24 campaign.

And yet, when that disastrous run ended, Indiana was still ahead on the scoreboard. Nembhard's shot put the Pacers ahead 88-83, and they would go on to win the game after some brilliant play in crunch time. The Pacers were able to weather the storm of a huge run and come out on top.

The reason Indiana was able to retain an advantage is that they defended quite well for much of the game prior to Chicago's dominant stretch. At the time the run started, the Pacers were up 83-58. They had crushed the Bulls for most of the night to that point, and especially so for the last 15-ish minutes of play. They looked terrific on both ends of the floor.

The standout number there is 58. After conceding 31 points in the first quarter of the game, the blue and gold held Chicago to 30 points over the next 19 minutes of action. The Pacers were playing excellent defense, and it set them up to win a game in which they played miserable basketball for nine minutes.

"I think everybody should see [the progress]," star guard Tyrese Haliburton said of the Pacers defense. "Anytime you don't score for that long, especially a team like us, two or three weeks ago, we don't score like that, we lose that game because we're not getting any stops," he added, noting that it's a part of the team's maturation.

In large part due to their mega run, the Bulls took a 93-90 lead with 7:51 to go in the game. They scored 11 points the rest of the way in defeat. It was one of the best games of the season on defense for the blue and gold.

"Defensively, we're continuing to make some progress," head coach Rick Carlisle said after the game. He has emphasized the less glamorous end of the floor during the last few weeks and is pleased with the progress. "We've just got to be process driven with the whole thing. Time will tell, but our approach with it is going to be the same... I think our guys are realizing how important it is to be better defensively."

The Bulls scored 104 points in the game. That's the fewest Indiana has conceded all season — in fact, it was their first time holding a team under 111. That stat alone shows a clear sign of progress.

On the season, the Pacers have allowed less than 118 points 12 times. Five of those 12 games have come since December 20. They have raised their level when it comes to getting stops.

Their increased attention on defense started to come into focus last week. They had an intense practice, made some tweaks, and kept things simple. So far, from a results perspective, that has helped.

"I think Rick's had a real militant mindset these past couple of days. It's been a lot of no-nonsense," Pacers center and defensive anchor Myles Turner said. "We've gotten bigger with our lineups and whatnot, and guys are committing themselves more to this end of the floor. Making things a lot easier."

Turner noted another key point in the Pacers recent defensive success — they altered their starting lineup earlier this week. The new opening unit has more defensive talent than the old one and has found success so far.

Turner thinks the team needed to get bigger and more physical, and they have been both of those things recently. Their effectiveness on the boards has increased, which has been an important part of their improvements.

It's easy to be hesitant about what the Pacers are currently doing defensively. Their track record this season is poor on that end of the floor, and each of their last five opponents are bottom-12 offenses in 2023-24. They have had an easy run of matchups when it comes to offensive quality.

But the Pacers have given up huge scoring nights to crummy teams this campaign before. The Washington Wizards 25th ranked offense scored 137 points against Indiana earlier this month. Orlando and Charlotte have each reached 125+ against the blue and gold. Opponent quality didn't correlate with defensive success for the Pacers prior to this week.

That's why they feel good about their progress. But it needs to continue. "We weren't very good defensively early. But we're getting a lot better now," Haliburton said. He added that the Pacers defense will make or break their season, so they need to maintain their focus on that end of the floor so they can keep seeing the success they had in Chicago. Their upcoming games against better opponents will be telling.

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• Tyrese Haliburton is working through increased attention and pressure from defenses for the Indiana Pacers. CLICK HERE.
• Indiana Pacers change starting lineup to get more consistent physicality and defense on the court. CLICK HERE.
• Jarace Walker showing important growth for Indiana Pacers. CLICK HERE.
• Indiana Pacers win second-straight road game behind outside shooting and brilliant Tyrese Haliburton game. CLICK HERE.
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