On Sunday night, the Indiana Pacers got embarrassed by the Charlotte Hornets, losing to the injury-riddled team 113-109. Starters Tyrese Haliburton and Pascal Siakam both failed to score ten points, and center Myles Turner grabbed only a single rebound. The Pacers were ultimately outrebounded 45-29 after facing a similar issue against the Hornets in an earlier loss.
Where the starters fell flat, the bench picked up the slack, but it wasn't enough. TJ McConnell scored a career-high 30 points and Jarace Walker chipped in 15 of his own, but the complete lack of a rebounding presence did a number on Indiana.
After the game, the Pacers blamed "energy" and "effort" for their lackluster performance. When asked about the rebounding effort, Jarace Walker explained that the team's heart just wasn't in it.
"I feel like effort would definitely help and I feel like it's it's really as simple as that when it comes to rebounding specifically, just wanting to get the ball, wanting to stop the other team from getting the ball just create an extra possession," said Jarace Walker. "So I feel like the defensive side and the rebound is definitely mostly effort."
Rick Carlisle, who is expected to get the most out of a roster that made the Eastern Conference Finals last season, agreed with his young forward.
"We got try harder," summed up Rick Carlisle. "There's some things about this game that took energy out of it and we've got to be a team that can generate energy when things aren't going well."
Related: Do The Pacers Have To 'Try Harder' To Break Out Of Slump?
A team with playoff hopes to readily admit that they are not trying hard enough should be enough to spell doom for the season, and fans should be ready for a long season full of disappointment, especially considering the team has made it clear that they aren't willing to outwork even their weakest opponents.
Related: What Individual Record Did T.J. McConnell Break?
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This story was originally published December 9, 2024, 12:26 PM.