Indiana Pacers fall short at the buzzer against San Antonio Spurs, defense once again struggles

The Pacers are 0-2 and can't contian opposing teams.

Oct 21, 2022; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; San Antonio Spurs forward Doug McDermott (17) dribbles to the basket while Indiana Pacers forward Isaiah Jackson (22) defends in the first half at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

The Indiana Pacers first quarter defense cost them a game on Wednesday, when they gave up 36 points in the first frame to the Washington Wizards.

On Friday night, history repeated itself as the blue and gold gave up 36 points in the first quarter again. This time, it was too a weaker opponent in the San Antonio Spurs. And this time, the Pacers defense didn't improve throughout the game.

The Spurs scored 36 points in the first quarter. And then 34 points in the second quarter. They reached the 100 total points mark before the end of the third frame. Indiana couldn't guard anyone in this game, and San Antonio tore them up.

"We've got to make the adjustments," head coach Rick Carlisle said after the game.
"After two games of these kinds of starts, I'm going to look at the film closely. [It] may be time to tweak some things. We'll see."

Some of the stats look made up. The Spurs shot 54.8% from deep, and many of their attempts were wide open. They found a way to generate good looks regardless of what personnel they had on the floor. Through three quarters, San Antonio had just seven turnovers, although they finished with 17. The Pacers were not forceful on defense, and the Spurs took advantage.

Perhaps the most jarring instance of the team's poor defense came in the second quarter. The Pacers were down just two points with seven minutes to go in the quarter, and they were on a mini run. San Antonio scored 25 points in the next seven minutes and led by 15 at halftime. Any chance the Pacers had of taking a lead during the game evaporated in that close to the quarter.

With the first half in the rearview mirror, Carlise tried to mix and match lineups. He moved youngsters Bennedict Mathurin and Goga Bitadze into the first unit after they had productive first halves, and he continued to tinker with lineups all night. Rookie Andrew Nembhard played often, veteran James Johnson made his debut for the franchise, and Aaron Nesmith got some extra burn.

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The Pacers finally found a strategy that helped them in the fourth quarter when they began to intentionally foul Jakob Poeltl. The Spurs big man took a whopping 21 free throws in the game and only made 13. Indiana's defense couldn't get stops, but Poeltl missed enough at the free throw line to allow a Pacer comeback.

Indiana cut the lead to three with moments to go, and Bennedict Mathurin had a chance to tie the game at the buzzer. He missed his three-pointer short, and the Pacers fell 137-134. It was a similar game to the Pacers opening night loss — Indiana started off terribly, made a furious comeback late, and it was too little too late.

"We've got to be aggressive from the jump. It's an NBA team, if they get that feeling, it's hard to stop," center Goga Bitadze said after the game. "We talked about it, and guys are able to do that."

The Pacers are now 0-2, and defense is largely to blame. Their offense has been just fine through two games, oftentimes good. But they can't contain anyone, and it's costing them.

When games open, the Pacers look their worst. The starting five has been atrocious on the less glamorous end of the floor, and the group has been outscored by 18 points through two games. 

A change to the rotation might be needed. Perhaps the froncourt needs a tweak to be bigger, or perhaps Mathurin could move into the opening five. There are a few options, and the Pacers will consider them.

"I'm not a big lineup changing person, in general. But our situation this year might be an exception," Carlisle said after the loss. He chose to start the second half with Mathurin and Bitadze on the floor instead of Smith and Duarte.

The Pacers miss Myles Turner, who was injured on Wednesday. But they also lack a certain force and energy level on the defensive end that one player alone can't fix. The blue and gold need a jolt on that end of the court if they want to pick up a win.

The next chance the Pacers have to get their first win is Saturday night, when they host the Detroit Pistons. The Pistons are 1-1 and will be traveling on a back-to-back, so both teams could look sloppy. Indiana needs to up their defensive intensity if they want to get their first win of the season.

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• Myles Turner injures ankle during pre-game warmups, expected to miss a few games. CLICK HERE.
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