With Myles Turner and Domantas Sabonis unable to play due to ankle injuries, the Pacers knew Saturday night's game against the Washington Wizards would be a difficult assignment.
Lance Stephenson was up to the challenge, carrying Indiana's offense for large portions of the second half. However, the Pacers really missed their top two centers on the defensive end, and on the glass. Five Wizards were in double figures, and when they needed a key basket, they often drove into the teeth of Indiana's defense for a key basket that broke Indiana's momentum.
Leading throughout the second half, the Wizards cruised to a 109-102 victory at Capital One Arena. Pacers coach Nate McMillan does not like to make excuses, but he thought his team looked tired, not just short-handed.
"We had some guys that were a little fatigued, and decided to give our bench an opportunity," said McMillan. "We got to figure out rotation, a combination for these guys to put them in a position to be productive until these guys get back."
The victory gave the Wizards a 2-1 edge in the season series, which would give tiebreaker to the Wizards (40-30) should they finished tied with the Pacers (40-30) when the regular season ends.
"We knew what was at stake with this game," said Wizards All-Star guard Bradley Beal, who led them with 19 points. "We wanted to make sure that we took care of it."
Don't be misled by the final score, because the Wizards controlled play most of the game. After the Pacers pulled to within nine points with 11 minutes to play, Washington went on a 15-4 run to go ahead by 20 points, 101-81, with six minutes to play. Stephenson (25 points, 5 rebounds, five assists) and four other reserves mad the final score closer, but the Wizards never came close to letting it slip away, handing Indiana its second straight loss. Beal and company did a solid defensive job on Victor Oladipo (18 points).
Here are three takeaways from the Pacers' loss:
1. While Al Jefferson (10 points, nine rebounds) played a solid game starting at center, the Pacers missed Turner and Sabonis badly.
Without Turner's scoring and Sabonis' versatility off the bench, the Pacers were easier to defend. Turner's outside shooting forces Pacers' opponents to defend him on the perimeter. That creates more operating room for Indiana's guards, particularly Oladipo, who loves to attack the basket when running the pick-and-roll with Turner. Sabonis' ability to use the pick-and-roll, as either a passer or a shooter, is also a large part of the Pacers' offense.
Jefferson was effective scoring in the low post and on mid-range jumpers. But Jefferson is not the defensive player that Turner is, and he is not the passer or physical presence that Sabonis is. Not used to playing extended minutes, Jefferson also seemed fatigued in the second half, which was understandable. Almost any team would feel the void of missing its starting center and backup center, and the Pacers were no different. Wizards center Marcin Gortat enjoyed the freedom of not having to deal with either Turner or Sabonis, and the Wizards got much easier scoring opportunities than did the Pacers. The Pacers will hope Turner feels good enough to play Monday against the Los Angeles Lakers, because playing without Turner and Sabonis will not get any easier.
2. Stephenson did his best to keep the Pacers within striking distance.
This was a night Stephenson had it going, and the Pacers ran much of their offense through him in the second half. Instead of settling for jumpers, Stephenson attacked the basket aggressively, and forced his way into the lane with a variety of moves. Stephenson used his strength to overpower his defender, and carried the offense when the Pacers had difficulty finding points anywhere else. Had this game been at Bankers Life Fieldhouse, the Lance-lovers in the crowd would have been going crazy, and perhaps the Pacers would have been propelled to one of their second-half comebacks.
"He was aggressive, he was making plays," said McMillan. "That was positive. We needed that. We really didn't have many options with that second group. Put the ball in his hands and allow him to try and create something."
But Stephenson's outburst was not enough to rally the Pacers, because Indiana could not get enough defensive stops in the fourth quarter. The Pacers never got close enough to the Wizards in the fourth quarter to make them really sweat.
"I felt like we had a chance, but just a tough day for everybody," said Stephenson. "We've got a lot of guys that's hurt, and it's hurting us. But we're pros. We got to get through it, figure out what we need to do to win game. On the defensive end, we were looking a little tired. Weren't getting any stops."
3. The Pacers need a win at home Monday against the Lakers.
We knew the Pacers' schedule would be tough the rest of this month, Now it looks even tougher, with the Pacers shorthanded and riding a two-game losing streak. Any kind of prolonged losing streak will be costly for the Pacers. They need to stop the bleeding at home, against a Lakers team that will not be going to the playoffs.
