Indiana Pacers stumble late and drop close game vs Utah Jazz

The Pacers have two wins since January 8

The Indiana Pacers played their best game in a while tonight against the Utah Jazz, but it still wasn't enough to walk away with a win.

The Pacers have won just two games since reaching the halfway point of their season. They were 23-18 and firmly in the playoff picture in the Eastern Conference. Now, they are 25-34 and closer to 13th place than 10th.

Monday night, the Pacers were hoping to get back on track against Utah. They had reinforcements coming in Jordan Nwora and George Hill, but Myles Turner was out with a back injury. In total, that's a negative for the blue and gold, but they still had enough talent to beat the Jazz.

That was evident for much of the night. It was a back and forth game that featured 15 lead changes, and in the first half, the Pacers were the team that benefitted from that style. They were playing fast, knocking down shots, and showcasing their identity. Indiana led by as much as six in the second quarter.

"For the most part in this game, I liked the tone of how we were competing," Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said. "We didn't always play great, but our intentions were good."

The Pacers led by as many as seven points in the third quarter and appeared to have a shot at grabbing a much-needed win. Instead, the early fourth quarter went about as poorly as possible for the team.

Indiana led 90-89 with 11:47 on the clock in the final frame, but they found themselves down 108-96 at the 5:25 mark. The Jazz jumped all over them for the most important run of the game.

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That ended up being the difference. The Pacers battled late and got the score margin down to one possession a few times, but they never recaptured the lead. Utah held on to win 123-117, and their early fourth quarter burst was a big reason why.

"We got beat 1-on-1 in a lot of situations," Carlisle said of that stretch. "We've just got to really continue to work at guarding our guy at the point of attack."

Point guard Tyrese Haliburton discussed the Pacers poor defense too. "There's a ton of different things," he said of the team's struggles on that end of the court. "I think it's more of attention to detail stuff... our attention to detail hasn't been there."

The Jazz shot 50.6% from the field and 45.5% from long range. The Pacers have held just two opponents in the last month under 45% accuracy from the field, and Utah took advantage. They rarely looked uncomfortable on offense, sans a few Jordan Clarkson turnovers.

If the Pacers are going to get back to their winning ways, they must defend better. Opposing teams are driving to the basket with ease and creating open shots from all over the court. The blue and gold can't stop anybody, and it's been the biggest difference between their early season success and current failures.

"First step is keeping your man in front of you. If we can do that better, then we won't have to cover for each other as much," wing Aaron Nesmith said. He may have been the best Pacer against Utah, he finished with 19 points and six rebounds, and he was a +13.

Haliburton was equally excellent, finishing with 30 points and 12 assists. He carved up a slower footed Jazz team.

Bennedict Mathurin (21 points) and Isaiah Jackson (11 points on four shot attempts) both were solid and played efficient games. Daniel Theis, who started for the first time of the season, finished with 11 points as well.

Nwora had seven points, three rebounds, and two steals in his debut. Hill finished with one steal.

The Pacers will try to get one more win before the All-Star break when they host the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday. Indiana beat Chicago in mid-January.

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