Low effort won't cut it for Indiana Pacers against anyone, especially not Golden State Warriors

The Pacers lost by 22 last night

INDIANAPOLIS — Every team in the NBA has a few games every season where they can't make any shots and lose. Most squads can accept that. But what few players and coaches can put up with is how the Indiana Pacers lost to the Golden State Warriors on Thursday night — their effort was simply not where it needed to be.

Former MVP Stephen Curry had a phenomenal game for the Warriors, scoring 42 points and hitting countless ridiculous threes. As a team, Golden State was 17/32 from deep, good for 53.1%. They were unguardable, and yet the Pacers don't even feel like that's why they lost.

Instead, it was because they got out hustled, crushed on the boards, and beat to loose balls. "We got beat by their hard play, and our lack of hard play. Simple as that. It was ugly... very disappointing," Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said after the game.

Carlisle was brief with most of his answers after the loss, which ended with a 131-109 final score. The Warriors scored 45 points in the first quarter and never looked back, even as Indiana's defense improved. The Pacers offense never kept up — they scored 42 total points in the second and third quarters combined.

In general, games like this can't happen. Effort is a requirement to win in the NBA, especially at home against a team with a losing record. But this is the dynasty that is the Golden State Warriors. They have Curry. They have Draymond Green. Andrew Wiggins and Jonathan Kuminga are rounding into form again. No team can show up and not be ready to play against that group.

But the Pacers were lethargic Thursday night, and it cost them. "From the start of the game to the finish of it, [effort] wasn't where it needed to be," Pacers center Myles Turner, who finished with 15 points, said.

Star guard Tyrese Haliburton agreed. "Just a bad game, top to bottom," he said. "Started with me, started with our first group. Poor effort game, poor performance overall." Haliburton finished with a season-low five points, which came on a season-low two made field goals. He was passing the ball well and had 11 assists, but his scoring wasn't there.

Given how the Pacers played, they would have lost to any team in the league last night. Against Curry playing at a high level, they had no chance. The superstar guard changed the game right away, scoring 18 of Golden State's first 35 points to get them going.

He was drilling deep threes and making phenomenal passes. His two-man game with Green was sublime. In the second quarter, the Pacers tried to trap Curry a few times, and he either shot over the trap or dished to another Warrior for a three. He could do no wrong.

"Steph is Steph, that's what he does," Haliburton said.

Indiana didn't make it hard enough on non-Curry players. And they gave Golden State, who was clicking offensively, too many extra chances. The Pacers lost the offensive rebounding battle seven to 10 and got beat by 19 boards overall. That was costly and reflective of their substandard effort.

"Every single one of them," Carlisle said when asked what numbers he didn't like for his team in this game. "We got beat in every category that you can get beat in. They got 17 more loose balls than we did."

Haliburton, once again, had a similar note. "We got killed on the 50-50 balls tonight," he said postgame.

Much of the outing was centered around the moves Indiana made at the trade deadline. They didn't have guard Buddy Hield in this game because they sent him to Philadelphia, and Doug McDermott, who they acquired on Thursday, wasn't with the team yet. They were short handed.

But that doesn't excuse their effort. They weren't fighting hard enough, especially against a team that is among the hardest in the league to beat at their best. The Warriors haven't been at their best much this season, but with Curry rolling, the Pacers had to be ready to fight back.

They didn't, and it cost them. Their small winning streak ended, and now they have to play three consecutive road games in advance of the All-Star break.

"Our fixation has got to be on hard, unselfish play. If we do those things, the scoring will take care of itself... this is a team thing," Carlisle said. "Any success we've had this year has been built on the group being stronger than individuals."

Indiana is now 29-24, which puts them in sixth-place in the Eastern Conference. They are 0.5 games ahead of eighth. Every win, and every game, is precious in a tight race, but the Pacers didn't look like a team in a narrow seeding battle on Thursday.

They can't afford to play like that against the Golden State Warriors, and they can't afford more games like that this season as they push for the playoffs.

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• Indiana Pacers continue to prioritize long-term success on the day of 2024 trade deadline, even after Pascal Siakam deal. CLICK HERE.
• Indiana Pacers agree to trade Buddy Hield to Philadelphia 76ers for multiple players and draft picks. CLICK HERE.
• Sources: Indiana Pacers agree to trade with San Antonio Spurs, will acquire Doug McDermott. CLICK HERE.
• Indiana Pacers new rotation keeps T.J. McConnell on the court, which was vital vs Houston Rockets. CLICK HERE.
• Indiana Pacers can't slow down Steph Curry in loss to Golden State Warriors. CLICK HERE.
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