The Indiana Pacers' hot start has started to cool off. Rick Carlisle's squad has been struggling to get wins in the latter half of the season and might find themselves in the play-in race if they do not pick up pace. They had the opportunity to get a streak going as they went up against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Unfortunately, Tyrese Haliburton and Co. could not close out in the clutch because of big performances from Jarrett Allen and Caris LeVert.
The clash between the Pacers and Cavaliers ended with a 103 to 108 scoreline. This marks Rick Carlisle's fifth loss in the last 10 games. As a team with playoff aspirations, everyone in the squad is understandably upset. Tyrese Haliburton even went out to describe how disheartening these past few games have been, via Alex Golden of Setting The Pace
“I’ve never went through a stretch like this in my life. This s*** sucks. It seems like everyone has the f***ing answer but it’s about me figuring s*** out,” he said.
Haliburton poured his heart out to get the Pacers offense running. He played 32 minutes which got him 14 points and six rebounds. His playmaking was also on display as he darted 12 assists while only turning the ball over three times. Pascal Siakam was also a big help as he knocked down 50% of his shots from the field. However, Siakam could improve his free throw shooting because he only sank one out of his four free throw attempts.
Pacers get outclassed from deep
Defense is not really the strong suit of this team. They struggled mightily to switch from zones and man-to-man defense throughout the season which led to some unfortunate easy baskets for their opponents. This game against the Cavaliers looked to be symptomatic of the same problem. The 43-win team knocked down 37.5% of their shots from three-point range and allowed 46.2% of their field goal attempts to go in. Caris LeVert and Jarrett Allen capitalized on this flaw which got them 23 points each.
These woes were fine at the start of the Pacers' campaign. However, this time they cannot outshoot their opponents. They were cold from the outside with a collective 23.7% three-point shooting percentage. Is a change in scheme necessary for the Pacers to get a streak going before the postseason?
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