Missing a bunch of key players to injuries, the Indiana Pacers extended their losing skid, bowing down to the Brooklyn Nets in another close contest to fall to a 1-5 win-loss card to begin their season.
Despite the Pacers mounting a double-digit lead in the first frame, the Kevin Durant-led squad roared back and claimed a sizeable edge of their own. Indiana made it a tight contest late in the fourth quarter, but Brooklyn’s firepower simply proved to be too much for them to handle.
The Indiana Pacers couldn’t temper the Brooklyn Nets’ firepower enough, fall to 1-5 on the season
James Harden, after notably struggling in his first five games, scored a season-high 29 points, with 16 of those coming from the charity stripe. Meanwhile, LaMarcus Aldridge, who came out of retirement this season, finished with 21 markers. On one occasion, he drilled his patented jumper en route to becoming the 48th player in league history to accrue 20,000 career points.
Rather surprisingly, Torrey Craig led the Pacers in scoring with a career-high 28 points and 11 rebounds while playing hard defense on Durant. Chris Duarte continued to impress, adding 19, while Domantas Sabonis had a relatively quiet night, only managing 16 points, seven boards and six assists.
Indiana played solid defense for the most part, but their measly scoring attack doomed them. With leading scorer and facilitator Malcolm Brogdon out and Caris LeVert yet to make his season debut, the Pacers only converted 39.8 percent of their shots, including 27.6 percent on threes. The Nets’ free throw barrage was also too jarring, attempting 41 to the Pacers’ 23. To add insult to injury, the referees overlooked Durant tossing the ball into the crowd, which should have warranted an automatic ejection.
As the Indiana Pacers regroup for another contest at home tomorrow against the Toronto Raptors, here is one stud and one dud from their tough loss against the Brooklyn Nets.
Torrey Craig turned in his best performance yet as a part of the Indiana Pacers
As a disclaimer, don’t let Torrey Craig‘s appearance as a victim in the will-be persistent KD crossover killer cloud your judgment.
After struggling with his shot to kick off his first season with the Indiana Pacers, new addition Craig turned in his best performance yet donning the Blue and Gold, pacing the team with an individual best 28 points and 11 rebounds on nine of 16 shooting, including an impressive four on seven from downtown.
With the Pacers reeling with their scoring attack, the defensive-minded forward popped off on offense, becoming a huge factor as the team started off sizzling in the first quarter. Indiana faltered since, but Craig’s energy and hustle plays, especially on the offensive boards, allowed them to stay within striking distance for the most part.
Plays like this will come a long way to enhancing the Pacers’ chances at getting more dubs as they get healthier and the schedule softens. With the team still struggling as a defensive unit, Craig will be pivotal as a stopper, especially against the likes of Kevin Durant.
If Craig keeps this up, don’t be surprised if Rick Carlisle bumps him up to the starting lineup, with TJ Warren still shelved indefinitely and Justin Holiday continuing to be subpar with his shooting and being not as sharp defensively.
The Indiana Pacers badly need TJ McConnell to break out of his slump
Filling in for the injured Malcolm Brogdon, TJ McConnell, in his first start of the season, failed to deliver, finishing the game with a forgettable eight points and four assists while knocking down only four out of 14 field goals in 33 minutes. This continues a string of subpar games for the backup guard to kick off his third season with the Indiana Pacers.
McConnell struggled all night long, failing to capture a semblance of rhythm to have him going, especially with the starting unit. With the Pacers playing a lot slower and more deliberately than last season, defenses have been smarter with their approach on his sneaky drives to the rim. Alas, even with the playmaker’s improved three-point shot, opponents have been more than willing to concede that shot, with McConnell failing to sink both of his triples.
Not having the ball as much with Sabonis and Duarte tasked with the bulk of the ball handling has negated McConnell’s impact. An already negligible off-ball player to begin with, the issue is that he’s been forcing the issue too much, especially against set defenses. Due to that, he’s been missing looks that he normally makes, such as this one:
While Brogdon and LeVert could return anytime soon, McConnell has to be much better than his recent outings, not only to hold down the fort, but also to set him up as a more effective bench leader throughout the campaign as the Indiana Pacers seek to improve their putrid record so far.