Pacers come up short in Mile High City to the Nuggets
By Ben Gibson
Indiana Pacers come up just short in the Mile High City, losing to the Denver Nuggets after a comeback from 18 points down.
Make your free throws. It’s as simple as that for the Indiana Pacers as they came up a point short on Saturday to the Denver Nuggets.
The team-wide stank of 26 of 37 from the line should be what we remember, not whether Bojan Bogdanovic made the right read or now on Indiana’s final shot attempt. For all of the Pacers mistakes in the game, the free throws were the most obvious — and fixable — problem.
Indiana is 21st in free throw percentage this season at 75.6, which is amazing because I didn’t think it was possible for nine other NBA teams to shoot that poorly.
73. 100. 100. Final. 102
The Pacers should be frustrated with themselves for a number of reasons beyond the freebies. The loss puts them a half-game back of the Philadelphia 76ers and only one game ahead of the Boston Celtics.
When Indiana struggles to win games in clutch time and only 6-11 on the road without Oladipo, holding on to home court advantage is key. The schedule is extremely unforgiving at the moment so they can’t count on any wins between now and the end of the month. Losing a game like this could ultimately decide their playoff fate, as well as their realistic likelihood of making the second round.
Welcome back, Tyreke Evans
After a three-game absence, Tyreke Evans returned to the lineup on Saturday with a decent enough stat line of 5 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists. While he struggled to shoot (1 of 5), his defense helped him provide a more neutral impact on the game.
Evans has struggled this year, but if the Pacers want to escape the first round of the playoffs — or even have homecourt advantage — they’ll need Evans to find some sort of rhythm.
A Gary Harris missed dunk was a turning point
When Domantas Sabonis turned the ball over with the Pacers trailing by four in the second half, Garry Harris should have cashed in with an easy dunk.
However, he ended up missing the dunk so badly it nearly became an over-and-back violation when to shot out to halfcourt. The play led to a modest Indiana run where Indiana would tie the game.
After nearly a full quarter’s worth of struggles by the Pacers, it felt like a small nearly point in the game. As demoralizing as dunks can be, a missed dunk nearly proved to be a pivotal moment in the win. In all, Indiana outscored the Nuggets 33-31 from that point.
Thank the referees
The ejection of Nikola Jokic helped make Indiana’s comeback easier, especially after fellow center Mason Plumlee picked up his sixth foul.
Your homework assignment is to tweet the NBA Officials account and thank them for this.
Regardless of outcome, Pacers fans should consider some kind words for @NBAOfficial tonight. Y'all always tag them when you're mad...
— 8 Points, 9 Seconds (@8pts9secs) March 17, 2019
M. 17 points and 4 assists for Darren Collison. His shooting was offline a bit as he went 5 of 12 from the field and 0 of 5 from deep.. PG. Indiana Pacers. DARREN COLLISON
A. Wesley Matthews went 2 of 5 (Boo!) but they were all 3-pointers (Yea!), making it a good time to point out 84 of his 127 field goal attempts with Indiana are from beyond the arc. Normally, his 40.2 field goal percentage would be concerning, but with his volume of 3s, he is making a solid impact.. SG. Indiana Pacers. WESLEY MATTHEWS
SF. Indiana Pacers. BOJAN BOGDANOVIC. K. Bojan Bogdanovic is blameless as far as free throws go thanks to his 6 of 6 performance. He also had 16 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 assists.
THADDEUS YOUNG. E. Thaddeus Young picked up a double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Pacers in both categories. He made a pair of 3-pointers in the game as well. After seemingly losing his ability to shoot from beyond the arc last season (and to start this season), Thad is shooting 42.6 from deep in the new year.. PF. Indiana Pacers
U. Myles Turner had more free throw attempts than field goal attempts in the game, but thankfully he went 9 of 11 from the line. Turner ended the game with 15 points and 5 rebounds.. C. Indiana Pacers. MYLES TURNER
C. Indiana Pacers. DOMANTAS SABONIS. R. 16 points and 7 rebounds for Domantas Sabonis as he was 6 of 10 from the field but only 4 of 8 on free throws.
CORY JOSEPH. F. Corey Joseph’s defense saves him from being a drag on the team, but his poor offensive play is the story of his March. In all, CoJo is 14 of 45 (31.1 percent) this month.. PG. Indiana Pacers
Indiana Pacers. TYREKE EVANS. T. 5 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists are a solid enough night in his return.. SG
Indiana Pacers. DOUG MCDERMOTT. S. 5 points on 2 of 4 shooting for Doug McDermott.. SF
Next. Oladipo shares video of him shooting from rehab. dark
The Pacers face the Portland Trail Blazers on Monday at 10:30 p.m.