After an unlikely Eastern Conference Finals run last season and bringing back mostly the exact same team, many expected the Indiana Pacers to continue riding their momentum and inch closer to legitimate title contention this season. To say things have not gone exactly Indiana's way is a bit of an understatement.
Nearly two months into the season, the Pacers are 12-15 and own the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference. Additionally, they have not had a record over .500 since winning their first game of the season against the Detroit Pistons. If the Pacers were not in the East, they would have a tall task in front of them to return to the postseason. Fortunately for them, they are in the East, making another postseason appearance likely.
Despite the Pacers starting the season much slower than fans hoped for, it seems that they might be righting the ship. The Pacers won each of their last two games, with their December 13th victory over the Philadelphia 76ers arguably being their best victory yet due to looking like their 2023-24 selves again.
There is still a lot of work the Pacers need to do to be competitive again, but it looks like they are turning things around, and that has been reflected in recent expert power rankings.
Where the Pacers rank among NBA experts nearly two months into the season
Website | Ranking | Previous ranking |
|---|---|---|
NBA | 20 | 25 |
HoopsHype | 20 | 20 |
ESPN | 20 | 21 |
Bleacher Report | 24 | 24 |
It is still not where they want to be, but the Pacers are finally trending up this season. The Pacers have only played two games in the last week, but they both culminated in solid victories. In addition to defeating the 76ers, the Pacers also defeated the New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday by a score of 119-104.
One major reason for the Pacers' recent hot streak is the improved play of star guard Tyrese Haliburton. For much of the season, he has been inconsistent, looking like a shell of his All-NBA-caliber self. However, in the past two games, he has averaged 26.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, 10.5 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block. Additionally, he shot 48.6% from the field and 47.8% from beyond the arc.
Two games is a small sample size, so it is not known yet whether this was just a great two-game stretch or a sign of something better. Regardless, given how his season has been so far, Pacers fans will be happy anytime Haliburton is playing winning basketball.
It also helps that the Pacers, due to not advancing in the NBA Cup this year, had lots of rest days over the past week. The Pacers have dealt with numerous injuries this season, so being able to have an extended rest period during the regular season is a huge positive for the team and has likely helped them get back on track.
The season is far from over, but the Pacers are giving fans reasons to have hope in the team from here on out. Their next opportunity to ride this momentum is on Thursday when they take on the Phoenix Suns in the first game of a three-game road trip.