Pacers rally in third but fade in fourth vs. Magic for 6th loss in their last seven games
INDIANAPOLIS -- The Pacers took their second straight loss and sixth in their last seven games, falling 117-110 to the Magic after a furious third-quarter rally.
The Pacers fell to 14-14 overall, hitting .500 for the first time since Nov. 4. The Magic improved to 17-11.
"We are what our record is," Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. "We're a .500 team. We've had high highs and we've had low lows. We've gotta become more consistent."
Here are four observations.
Paolo Banchero, Magic frontcourt causes problems for Pacers
As has been the case so many times this season, the Pacers faced a big and talented power forward aided by size at the five and wings and didn't have much in the way of an answer for it. They fouled too much, gave up too many points in the paint and found themselves having to rely too much on 3-point shooting to overcompensate.
This time it was reigning Rookie of the Year Paolo Banchero who was the power forward in question and the Pacers couldn't stop him from getting to the rim unless they fouled him, and when they did he just went and got his points at the line. Banchero scored 34 points on 11 of 20 shooting and 12 points at the line.
Franz Wagner, the Magic's 6-10 small forward, was a problem as well as per usual. He scored 24 points on 8 of 14 shooting and was also 8 of 8 at the line.
The Magic scored 64 points in the paint, which is part of a trend when they play the Pacers. They scored 66 points in the last outing when they played on Nov. 19.
"They play hard every second, every play," Pacers guard Buddy Hield said. "They're very beatable, but they play hard. I think their hard play is what separates them. They don't have any elite shot making, just Gary Harris, but their hard play makes them so elite. ... Their length is, heh, they're 6-7 at every position. They have guys coming off the bench who are 6-7, 6-8."
The size was a big reason why there was a tremendous free throw disparity that ultimately decided the game. The Pacers made more field goals than the Magic with 43 to their 39 and a lot more 3-pointers with 15 to Orlando's six, but Orlando got to the line enough to make up for all of that. The Pacers were called for 30 fouls to Orlando's 18 and the Magic were 33 of 41 at the line while the Pacers were 9 of 13.
In the fourth quarter when the Magic outscored the Pacers 24-18, both teams were 8 of 17 from the floor and 1 of 5 from 3, but Orlando was 7 of 10 at the line and the Pacers were 1 of 2.
This of course is not a phenomenon exclusive to the Magic. The Pacers allow their opponents to take more free throws per game (27.8) than any other team in the NBA.
"We send everybody to the free throw line," Pacers All-Star point guard Tyrese Haliburton said. "Teams live at the free throw line against us. It's been a re-occurring theme, something that's been noticeable since the Lakers game, really. ... Teams are attacking us to get us to foul because they can't run with us. When we don't foul we're a lot better than we are when we do."
Haliburton said it comes back to an issue of defensive discipline.
"When you're out of position so much and in scramble so much, it puts people in bad situations to foul," Haliburton said. "I think that's the biggest thing. We're just out of position a lot as a team. I think that's why the coaching staff's main focus has been defense really."
Beyond the free throws, the fouls also caused major issues with the Pacers' front line. Centers Myles Turner, Jalen Smith and Isaiah Jackson combined for 13 fouls between them which cut into each of their minutes. Aaron Nesmith, who usually plays power forward and had to take on Banchero extensively, fouled out in less than 28 minutes of action.
"Our whole team was fouling out in the first half," Carlisle said.
Myles Turner keys huge Pacers third quarter
Pacers center Myles Turner had a frustrating first half all the way around. He got into foul trouble early with his second foul coming in the first five minutes of the first quarter on a moving screen. He played just 10:20 in the first two quarters thanks to three fouls, and late in the second he also knocked knees with a Magic player and hobbled off the floor to be evaluated in the locker room.
So in the second half, he seemed to be the most determined out of what was a very motivated Pacers starting five.
Turner only took two first half field goal attempts, both of them 3-pointers, and made one of them. But in the second half he was much more determined to attack the paint and also made offense out of defense. He took advantage of a Magic inbounding mishap when they only had one player in the backcourt off a Pacers bucket, so he did his best free safety work, picked off the pass and took it the distance for a layup. He went 7 of 7 from the floor in the quarter for 15 points, and just one of those was a 3-pointer.
"It was just opportunity," Turner said. "Once I see my opportunities, I try to get as aggressive as possible. I gotta make more opportunities for myself, especially in the second half. But at the same time, when you have a team that's flowing and you have four or five guys going at the same time, it's tough at times. I just have to keep picking my spots to be aggressive."
Turner's performance ignited the Pacers, who made 13 of 20 field goals in the period, including 5 of 7 3-pointers to post 1.44 points per possession. Tyrese Haliburton got going downhill with eight points and four assists in the period, and veteran wing Buddy Hield hit three 3-pointers to score 11 points
Turner also turned up his defense with a pair of blocks and the Pacers seemed to follow his lead on that end, too. They held the Magic to 7 of 17 shooting, including 2 of 4 from 3, and caused five Magic turnovers. The Magic posted just 0.88 points per possession and the Pacers outscored the Magic 33-20 to cut what was a 73-59 halftime deficit to a 93-92 Magic lead at the beginning of the fourth. Turner finished with 24 points on 9 of 11 shooting, seven rebounds and four blocks.
Tyrese Haliburton finds freedom to work again
The Magic beat the Pacers on Nov. 19 in no small part because they so frequently double teamed Tyrese Haliburton and forced other players to beat them. Nobody did. He scored what were at that point a season-low 12 points on 4 of 14 shooting in a 128-116 loss.
Other teams have copied that approach since, but the Magic didn't seem to have the same amount of success and the Pacers managed to take some pressure off and get him out in open space. Helped in part by Andrew Nembhard taking off pressure as a secondary ball handler and excellent outside shooting, Haliburton had his best outing since the In-Season tournament finals with 29 points on 12 of 22 shooting including 3 of 5 3-pointers to go with 14 assists.
"I don't think it had anything to do with them or us as a team," Haliburton said. "I think I just made a lot more shots today. I did a better job of getting guys in spots and my teammates put me in good position. Drew gave me a gimme in the corner. Guys were looking for me. I think that had a lot to do with that. It's nothing they did differently from the last time we saw them. They guarded me the exact way they have been, but I made some shots today and got into a flow of it."
It was the most points Haliburton scored since he had a career-high 44 in a Nov. 30 loss to Miami and just the second time he's cracked the 20-point mark since the In-Season Tournament final on Dec. 9.
"Ty's a smart player," Carlisle said. "He's figuring things out in front of everyone's eyes. I do think having Drew out there with him, it creates a different geometry of the game. Bruce (Brown) can do some of those things too, so it's not that different, but he's a great young player that's learning a lot. He calculates and comes up with answers very quickly."
Haliburton said it's been helpful to get home and regroup after a road trip that, including the In-Season Tournament, became a 12-day event. That gives him more opportunity to process the defenses he's seeing and think about how he can counter.
"I just think every night is a growing experience," Haliburton said. "Every night is a night to learn to get better. I'm a basketball junkie, so I think after games I've been having lately, it's been a lot of film study and understanding that. That's been my biggest thing is just since these recent struggles is just getting into the film and seeing where I can be better. I'm turning the ball over a lot right now, missing a lot of shots. Just getting back to the basics. We were on the road for a long time. Getting back home, lifting, getting extra shots, going to church, getting in my routine, things are gonna get better."
Andrew Nembhard made an impact as a starter
Bruce Brown was a late scratch with a right knee bone bruise, so the Pacers threw Andrew Nembhard in the starting lineup in his second game after returning from a two-week absence because of his own bruised knee.
The Pacers went with him rather than one of their bigger wings to make sure they had a secondary ball-handler with Haliburton facing so much defensive attention. He ended up providing very important relief as well as some important buckets.
Nembhard got rolling early in the first quarter, going 3 of 4 from the floor and scoring six of the Pacers' first 10 points. He added five more in the second with a 3-pointer during a critical stretch that got the Pacers back within shouting distance. He finished with 17 points on 8 of 10 shooting and five assists.
"I was just letting it come to me," Nembhard said. "With the way we play, it's so random so you kind of have to pick your spots and understand when's the right time to be aggressive and make a play for yourself and when it's time to also be aggressive but make a play and kick it out to someone else. I thought I did a good job with that."
After two games back, Nembhard said he feels close to back to normal.
"I feel really good," Nembhard said. "That whole week I was really rehabbing and getting into the weight room. My body is fresh. I feel like I'm ready to get out there and play whatever minutes I get and just compete."
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Pacers vs. Magic: Pacers fade in fourth, dominated by Paolo Banchero
