Indiana Pacers defensive inconsistency re-emerges in loss vs Toronto Raptors

The Pacers defense regressed on Monday

INDIANAPOLIS — The Indiana Pacers showed their frustrations often on Monday night as they lost to the Toronto Raptors. They jogged back on offense after giving up basket after basket. They threw up their hands as another Raptors cut led to points. On a night where Pascal Siakam and Bennedict Mathurin were tremendous offensively, the Pacers spent much of the night disappointed.

The blue and gold could not stop the Raptors, who scored 130 points. 78 of them came in the paint, and 33 of them — the best mark for any team in one NBA game this season, according to Caitlin Cooper of Basketball She Wrote — came from cuts. The Pacers were helpless and inconsistent on defense, and it prevented them from finding solid footing throughout the game.

"Defensively, we needed to be a lot better," head coach Rick Carlisle said after the game. Earlier, he was verbose. "They just got in the paint too often. 78 paint points, you're going to lose most of the time. That was an area we needed to do better."

Entering Monday, Indiana had won six of its last eight games and had allowed 116.5 points per game in that stretch. They only conceded more than 125 points twice in that span. With their offensive firepower, that's usually enough to win.

In fact, in the five games prior to their loss against Toronto, Indiana ranked eighth in defensive rating. They had been better on the less glamorous end of the floor after the trade deadline, but that run of success evaporated into the sky on Monday.

"They had more energy than us today," Pacers forward Pascal Siakam, who started this season with the Raptors, said.

For the Pacers, defensive consistency has been lacking this season. That isn't new. It's been a story all year long. Their best stretches featured physicality and defense, their worst moments contain inattentiveness and a lack of pressure. Last night, they were the latter.

Indiana has two four-plus game winning streaks this season. During the first one of those, which came in early December, they ranked 18th in defense rating — below average, but good enough. The other span of victories, which took place in late December and early January, saw the Pacers boast the 13th-best defense.

They weren't shutting teams down in either of those streaks, but given how elite their offense can be, that's the level the Pacers need to reach consistently to win. On Monday night, the Pacers three-game winning streak came to an end because they couldn't approach that level. They were rough and lost at home to a sub-.500 team.

"I think they made a lot of good plays just from cuts," Siakam said, noting that his team wasn't as present as they usually are on the defensive end. It cost them a game.

Carlisle also cited cuts when asked why the blue and gold gave up so many points in the paint. 78 is a ton, over half of the Raptors points came right at the basket. "It's kind of a you name it kind of thing," the head coach said of Indiana's struggles keeping Toronto away from the rim. He mentioned transition play, cuts, and drives specifically. "We need to be better," he added. Earlier, he said his team needs to learn from the game.

Indiana was proud of the progress they made on defense in December and into early January. It wasn't enough to make them a defensive force, but it made them consistent winners. After a defensive-focused practice on December 19, the Pacers won 10 of their next 13 games. That was their best level of the season.

Since then, they have dealt with key injuries, including to star point guard Tyrese Haliburton, and made multiple trades. Those shake ups have made the team more inconsistent, which is to be expected. Had they been more reliable on defense throughout that time, though, they would have a better record. The blue and gold are 10-9 since acquiring Siakam.

"I think ball pressure. Ball pressure was one thing that we should have an impact on," Indiana guard Bennedict Mathurin said of his team's defensive struggles on Monday night. He put a verbal hand up to admit that he wasn't good enough on that end of the floor throughout the game.

"I was really bad on defense tonight," he said. "I take all accountability."

Others likely would have followed suit if given the chance. It was a rough night for the Pacers defensively, and it ruined the positive momentum they had built since the All-Star break. Fortunately for Indiana, while their inconsistency has prevented them from stringing together victories, they have very rarely gone on long losing streaks — and they'll look to recover from their forgettable defensive night against Toronto tomorrow with the New Orleans Pelicans in town.

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• Tyrese Haliburton spends All-Star weekend as the face of the NBA, winning comes next. CLICK HERE.
• Ben Sheppard is earning trust of Indiana Pacers with his hard play and quality performances. CLICK HERE.
• One-on-one with Indiana Pacers veteran forward James Johnson. CLICK HERE.
• Big nights from Pascal Siakam and Bennedict Mathurin were not enough as the Indiana Pacers fell to the Toronto Raptors. CLICK HERE.
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