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Three takeaways from Indiana Pacers ugly road loss to Charlotte Hornets

The Pacers lost an ugly game on Monday night

Tony East

Three takeaways from Indiana Pacers ugly road loss to Charlotte Hornets
Three takeaways from Indiana Pacers ugly road loss to Charlotte Hornets /

The Indiana Pacers were atrocious on Monday night, losing to the Charlotte Hornets on the road for their fifth loss of the season against a team with a winning percentage below 30%. That leads the league — the Pacers are too familiar with performances like that.

Indiana scored just 102 points, and they were rarely able to create any momentum or energy. It looked like they weren't interested in playing at times, and the scoreboard reflected it. Despite being one of the best offensive teams in the NBA, the blue and gold only scored more than 25 points in a quarter one time last night.

The Hornets made several trades last week ahead of the trade deadline, and their new players combined to score 55 points. They looked like they had been around for a while. The Pacers only made one addition last week, yet they looked clunkier and disconnected as a team. It was an ugly loss.

At halftime, Pacers assistant coach Jim Boylen was being interviewed on the Bally Sports Indiana broadcast of the game. "We made our adjustments and hopefully we can execute them," he said. He hoped his team would be better at defending the roll man and closing out on shooters.

Instead, the blue and gold conceded 63 points in the second half and lost. Their takeaways from such a poor performance are largely negative.

Indiana was awful on offense

The Hornets have the worst defensive rating in the NBA at 120.7. They routinely can't get stops. That's why they are 12-41. Their opponents typically score with ease.

On Monday, the Pacers scored just 102 points against Charlotte. It was the second-lowest scoring output of the season for the team, and their worst offensive night came against the Boston Celtics' third-ranked defense.

This performance, in which the Pacers barely cracked triple-digit points, might have been Indiana's worst of the season. They were 8/30 on three-point looks, 10/16 from the charity stripe, and only mustered two offensive rebounds, a season-low. They didn't give themselves extra chances and weren't successful finishing their first looks.

Boylen said at halftime that the team needed to create their own energy. Outside of one successful stretch in the third quarter offensively, the Pacers rarely did that. That led to a loss despite limiting their opponent to 111 points.

The Pacers bench had a rough night

Indiana's depth has been a strength all year, but it wasn't in this game. They lead the league in bench scoring with over 47 points per game, but they only got 18 points from their bench on Monday.

Bennedict Mathurin struggled, missing all of his shots and finishing scoreless. T.J. McConnell is usually reliable for energy and production, but he had more turnovers than assists and only eight points. Doug McDermott and Ben Sheppard both had zero points.

Obi Toppin and Isaiah Jackson were good enough in the frontcourt, but Indiana still needed more from every reserve. They all combined to shoot 8/23 while defending poorly — the second unit gave up a lead in each half.

While the Pacers can typically rely on their bench, they did so in their last two wins, that group was disappointing on Monday in Charlotte.

Aaron Nesmith's dunk highlights starting frontcourt success

Similar to the bench, Indiana's starting frontcourt outplayed its partnering backcourt, even with Andrew Nembhard having a quality outing. The lone bright spot for the Pacers was the success of the Aaron Nesmith, Myles Turner, and Pascal Siakam trio.

Turner got the Pacers rolling on Monday, scoring the team's first 11 points and setting the tone on the inside. That continued throughout the night. He finished with 22 points, five rebounds, two steals, and two blocks. Indiana won his minutes by six.

Nesmith was terrific as well, giving maximum effort all night and knocking down shots. He had 21 points, and his defensive presence was needed. He was routinely the best option for Indiana on the wing.

On a night that didn't feature a ton of energy from the Pacers or in the arena, Nesmith created some. He had the highlight of the game when he dunked on Hornets center Nick Richards in the fourth quarter. 

"Just playing hard, playing with effort, playing within the scheme," Nesmith said of his successes during a halftime interview on the Bally Sports Indiana broadcast of the game. That dunk tied the score, but it wasn't enough to give Indiana an energy boost. They were down four less than one minute later.

Siakam was predictably reliable, wrapping up his night with 18 points on 12 shots and adding five rebounds, four assists, and two steals. If anything, he needed to have the ball more. Charlotte struggled with him.

Indiana lost this game and looked directionless at times, but their starting frontcourt wasn't the reason why. That trio was good enough. Others, especially off the bench, needed to follow suit.

The Pacers will try to avenge this defeat on Wednesday when they take on the Toronto Raptors.

  • Indiana Pacers continue to prioritize long-term success on the day of 2024 trade deadline, even after Pascal Siakam deal. CLICK HERE.
  • Indiana Pacers react to Buddy Hield being traded to Philadelphia 76ers. CLICK HERE.
  • Indiana Pacers new rotation keeps T.J. McConnell on the court, which was vital vs Houston Rockets. CLICK HERE.
  • Indiana Pacers putrid offensive night leads to bad loss against Charlotte Hornets. CLICK HERE.
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Tony East
TONY EAST

Tony East is the Publisher of AllPacers. He has previously written for Forbes Sports, the West Indianapolis Community News, WTHR, and more while hosting the Locked On Pacers podcast.

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