The Pacers were slow to fully engage against the short-handed Sixers, but spent the second half securing a win.
The Pacers rallied from a frustrating first half effort to outscore the Sixers, 65-49 in the second half en route to a 112-100 win. Wins are all that matter at this point in the season, but it seems like the storyline for this game has played out far too many times this season.
In fact, instead of sharing those similar sentiments, once again, let’s turn to Jenny Boucek, Rick Carlisle and Tyrese Haliburton for their thoughts.
Coach Jenny Boucek had this to say at halftime on the FanDuel SportsNetwork broadcast before the start of the second half
"We can talk about it until we're blue in the face as a group, but it's hard for our guys for whatever reason to get up for teams that have a lot of guys out. We're not a team that can just show up and beat teams. We play a certain way with certain standards and certain habits and if we don't play that well we become very average or below average real quick."
Following the game, Rick Carlisle had similar sentiments, having not interest in entertaining any excuses, since the bottom line effort on the court is all that is judged at the end of the game. But finding a way to get to the end and leave with a win, is also all that matters and Carlisle like the “force and presence” his team played with.
"No NBA game is easy, We just had to do whatever we needed to do to get this game. It's not always going to be by-the-numbers. We're at that time of year where it's 'find a way.' I can come up with a lot of reasons why we had a slow start. Nobody wants to hear it. We need to compete better right off the bat to start the game. Look, there’s no time to be talking about the past now, we gotta get to Milwaukee and get ready for that one.”
Tyrese Haliburton wasn’t happy with the way the first unit started the game.
“We have to come out with more energy. I think our first group didn’t do a good job of attacking the paint and playing with energy. We’ve gotta do a better job of starting games but you’ve gotta be ready to go 48 minutes and we pulled out the win.”
Haliburton went on to talk about the team’s problems against struggling opponents as something they continue to work on in the ‘maturation’ of the team which starts with him. The maturation of the team as a whole was a common topic last season and remains a work in progress with so many young players continuing to develop.
Fortunately, the Pacers were able to get the win without expending any of the starter’s minutes past 33 minutes with Aaron Nesmith, Pascal Siakam and Myles Turner all clocking in under 30 minutes. On the down side, Siakam showed up as questionable on the injury report with an elbow issue on his shooting arm. Siakam has been big of late, playing a major role in the win over the Bucks on Tuesday.
Siakam’s status adds to the factors going against the Pacers, with the back-to-back against a rested Bucks team on their home floor. Plus, the Bucks will certainly be dialed in to shut down the Pacers and secure the tie breaker between the two teams.
The win over the Bucks was epic on Tuesday but did reveal how the changes Milwaukee made, moving on from Khris Middleton, will create matchup issues. The length of the Milwaukee lineup with Taurean Prince and Kyle Kuzma, will always force the Pacers to execute at a high level, as size on Haliburton makes his life more difficult.
Hard to imagine that high level of execution arising after the win in Philly, but the Pacers have done so in these circumstances in the past. Making some threes will be critical as always, but after making lest than 30 percent in Philly, maybe they are all due to get hot from behind the arc. But the good news is that 65 games into the season, the Pacers have the opportunity to control their own destiny for the fourth spot in the East.
Pacers vs. Bucks
**Where:**Fiserv Forum, Milwaukee, WI
When: Saturday, Mar. 15, 2025, 8:00 p.m. ET
TV: FanDuel Sports Network
Radio: 93.5/107.5 The Fan
Odds: Pacers +6
Projected Starters
Pacers: Tyrese Haliburton, Andrew Nembhard, Aaron Nesmith, Pascal Siakam, Myles Turner
Bucks: Damian Lillard, Taurean Prince, Kyle Kuzma, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Brook Lopez
Injuries
Pacers: Pascal Siakam (elbow) - questionable, Isaiah Jackson (Achilles) - out
Bucks: Giannis Antetokounmpo (calf) - probable, Damian Lillard (groin) - probable, Kevin Porter Jr. (ankle) - probable, Tyler Smith (back) - questionable, Bobby Portis (suspension) - out
Indy Cornrows with Tom Lewis is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.