Just when it seems that things cannot get worse for the Indiana Pacers, they manage to reach even closer to rock bottom. On Wednesday, the Pacers lost to the Houston Rockets 130-113. With this loss, the Pacers are now on a two-game losing streak and have lost five of their last seven games. The Pacers now own the No. 10 seed in the Eastern Conference. Furthermore, with a 6-9 record, they are tied with the Brooklyn Nets, Charlotte Hornets, and Milwaukee Bucks.
An Eastern Conference Finals participant just a few months ago, the Pacers look like a shell of what fans were expecting out of them this season. The season is still young, but the way the Pacers have started the campaign is disappointing. This became especially true after their most recent loss to the Rockets.
Pacers lost to the Rockets for the first time in over 5 years
The last time the Rockets defeated the Pacers before Wednesday was November 15, 2019. For context, the Pacers' leading scorers were Domantas Sabonis and Doug McDermott with 18 points a piece. Additionally, the Pacers still had the three T.J.s on the roster--McConnell, Warren, and Leaf. Tyrese Haliburton, additionally, still had not made his way to the NBA yet.
On the flip side, the Rockets were led by James Harden's 44 points with Ben McLemore and Russell Westbrook being the team's next-highest scorers. Since this loss, the Pacers won nine straight against the Rockets.
This winning streak, which was the Pacers' longest active one against any opponent, coming to an end is the perfect representation of the team's slow start. The Pacers are constantly losing to teams they likely would have defeated last season.
Houston has a young and improving team. There are exciting players with lots of potential on the roster--most notably, Alperen Sengun. However, they are a team the Pacers should be able to defeat if they want to prove they are legitimate title contenders.
The Pacers are just 15 games into an 82-game season. There is still plenty of time for them to get healthy and figure things out. However, there are reasons to genuinely be concerned about the team's performance to begin the season.
Outside of Pascal Siakam (for the most part), the Pacers have not seen consistent good basketball out of their roster. This includes Tyrese Haliburton, who has drastically fallen off from last season's All-NBA campaign. The Pacers, who had championship aspirations coming into the season, do not even look like a lock for a Play-In spot. If they want to right the ship, they need to find their groove ASAP.