Just a month ago, the Indiana Pacers were five games under .500 and were on the outside of the playoff picture looking in. At the time, fans wondered what it would take for the team to turn things around and right the ship. Now, the Pacers are 20-18, have won 10 of their last 13 games, and currently own the No. 6 seed in the East.
What makes Indiana's turnaround even more impressive is they were largely able to do it on their own. Sure, they traded for Thomas Bryant from the Miami Heat in the middle of December, but this was the only notable external move they made. The Pacers got Andrew Nembhard and Ben Sheppard back from injury during this time, which certainly helped as well, but players like Tyrese Haliburton, Pascal Siakam, and Myles Turner helped turn things around by improving their individual games.
Regardless of what led to it, the Pacers have flipped the script and are looking much more like last year's conference finals team. This has become especially evident during Indiana's four-game stretch to start the calendar year, which has been nothing short of dominant.
The Pacers have trailed for just 6 minutes in 2025
Indiana has played four games in 2025 so far against the Miami Heat, Phoenix Suns, Brooklyn Nets, and Chicago Bulls. In total, they have played 192 minutes. During that time, they have only trailed for six of them. Furthermore, they have led for 177. In other terms, the Pacers have led for 92% of the minutes they have played in 2025 and have trailed for 0.03%.
There is an important side note that should be mentioned--the Pacers have not had the most difficult schedule this past week. They played Miami in what could end up as Jimmy Butler's last game with the team, the Suns, who are playing terribly right now, and the Nets and Bulls, who are both Play-In teams at best.
Regardless, there is no denying that the Pacers are on the right track and playing amazing on the court. They still have a little bit to go before they can fully hit their potential this season, especially with Aaron Nesmith still sidelined due to an ankle injury, but Indiana is looking much more destined for another deep playoff run.
The Pacers have a moderately difficult schedule coming up, playing the Cleveland Cavaliers, Detroit Pistons, and San Antonio Spurs twice each over the next few weeks. However, if they can continue this dominant run, they should be able to build off their momentum and re-establish themselves as championship contenders once again.