Pacers focus on defense gets them back on track against Charlotte Hornets

The Pacers defended well in a win on Wednesday night

The Indiana Pacers had conceded nearly 140 points per game across their last four outings entering Wednesday night's battle with the Charlotte Hornets. The Pacers aren't known for their defense this season, but the level they were playing at was below even their expectations. They weren't giving themselves a chance most nights.

Head coach Rick Carlisle made it clear on Monday that the team needed a mentality shift. They can't just rely on outscoring teams every night to win. They have to raise their presence, focus, and energy on defense to play better.

That's why on Tuesday, after playing three games in four nights, the Pacers opted for an intense practice. They taped up, mixed and matched their lineups, and went hard. They needed the extra reps and teaching moments. 

"I thought it was a great practice. Great focus. Guys were locked in," Pacers wing Aaron Nesmith said after the session. He called the tune-up a reset practice, which is something the blue and gold needed after their run in the In-Season Tournament as well as their lengthy road trip.

Carlisle agreed that the practice was important. He wanted to hammer home some of the team's defensive principles, which had been lacking significantly in recent weeks. 

"A lot on defense," Carlisle said of the focus on Tuesday. "A lot on basics. It's been a while since we've had the opportunity to do things live in a practice situation. It was very much needed."

Indiana hosted Charlotte the following day, a team that was banged up and ranks 25th in offensive rating. On one hand, that is a convenient situation for the blue and gold to iron out some defensive issues. On the other hand, the Pacers have had some putrid defensive nights against crummy offenses — the 23rd-best offense belongs to the Washington Wizards, and they scored 137 points against Indiana last week. Toronto's bottom-10 offense scored 132 in Indianapolis just under one month ago. Opponent quality hasn't always mattered for the Pacers defense.

They came out dialed in on the less glamorous end of the floor Wednesday night. The Hornets scored nine points in the first six minutes of the game as the blue and gold were disruptive and focused. They weren't giving up easy baskets and were contesting every Charlotte shot.

That sounds like simple stuff, but Indiana hadn't been executing much of that recently. During their four game skid, they gave up easy baskets constantly. Their rotations were late, and help was slow — if it came at all. They were hoping to be more crisp on Wednesday, and they were early.

"Just getting a better understanding of everything. I thought we went back to the basics on a lot of stuff," Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton said of what the team focused on during Tuesday's work session.

Holding a team under 30 points in a quarter is a big deal for the Pacers. That sounds like a big number, but at their pace, opponents get a lot of chances. As it stands, though, the blue and gold score 128 points per game while allowing 126.5. Holding a team under 30 is a success for the Pacers, and their average night says they will win if they do that consistently.

In the first frame Wednesday night, Charlotte scored just 29 points. Indiana was ahead after that period. The Hornets were able to pick things up in the second quarter offensively, but the Pacers matched it with a 40-point scoring quarter. They were up 11 at halftime.

Their defensive level was finally better, even if it was against an inferior opponent. Given how many times the Pacers have lost to teams that they have a better record than, they can't just brush off any successes.

Their improved level on defense continued in the second half. They allowed just 26 points in the third quarter and 27 in the fourth. That's a recipe for winning, and the Pacers were able to do so.

"We did a much better job tonight as a group. With focus. With toughness, with friction," Carlisle said after the game. "All you've got to do is look at the quarter scoring and you can see that there was some consistency."

Holding a team under 30 three times generally leads to success for Indiana. Their opponents average over 30 points per quarter in each frame, and the blue and gold are 9-2 when holding their opposition to 120 points or less.

They did that Wednesday as Charlotte scored just 113. It was tied for the third-fewest by a Pacers opponent all season.

"I thought we were good on that end today." Haliburton said after the game. He acknowledged that opponents will put up big numbers against Indiana's pace, but they did well to limit that tonight.

Their attention to detail was better, something Nesmith said in the locker room after the game. The wing had a wonderful outing on both ends as he didn't miss a shot all night and was all over this matchups.

"We locked in on defense today. We've got to have that kind of focus moving forward every game," Nesmith said.

That's the next challenge for the Pacers. They've had a few good stretches of okay defense this season, but it typically fades. They need to sustain it this time if they want to avoid another losing streak like the one they just went through.

"Now the task is to sustain," Carlisle said. Defensively consistency has escaped the Pacers this season, but they looked good on that end Wednesday night. It helped them end a losing streak.

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