Losses piling up for the Pacers
By TYLER SMITH
ISL Editor
(Photo by Pacers Sports and Entertainment)
INDIANAPOLIS — This has been a season of streaks for the Indiana Pacers. They started 1-6, then went 6-3, 1-10, 7-4, and now 1-8. Add those numbers up, and you get a record of 16-31. The two stretches of good basketball have been overshadowed by the longer stretches of poor play. The Pacers now find themselves four games out of the playoffs, and that includes four teams in front of them that they’d have to pass. As the trade deadline approaches, the losses continue to pile up.
After beating Orlando Sunday night, Pacers fans were hoping for another streak of inspired play. They started the game against Toronto on a 9-0 run and led 28-21 after the 1st quarter. It was all Toronto after that, however, as the Raptors outscored the Pacers in each of the final quarters on way to a 104-91 win at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.
“I thought their bench brought great energy tonight,” Coach Frank Vogel said after the loss. “The energy they brought really separated the game in both halves. Toronto is one of the top teams in the conference this year. We knew we had to play a great game to beat them, and we didn’t play well enough.”
Point guard George Hill played in just his eighth game of the season. The Pacers have fared better when Hill plays, with a record of 4-4 in those games. It’s been a frustrating season for Hill for multiple reasons. “I’ve never been a part of the bottom, so I don’t want to start doing that now” Hill said. “We have to learn from it. The good thing is it can only get better. I don’t think it can get any worse from here. We’ve got to figure out how we’re going to turn it around.” Hill finished with 13 points and three assists in his limited minutes.
Rodney Stuckey led the way for Indiana with 22 points and seven rebounds. David West added 11 points, eight rebounds, and five assists.
The NBA trade deadline is February 19th, and the Pacers figure to be an interesting team to watch in the coming weeks. There are numerous trade candidates on this roster. The question has always been: Will Larry Bird try to give it one more try with a similar core next season, or will he look more towards the future? In many ways, Pacers fans are hoping he can pull off both. Stay tuned.
Follow Tyler on Twitter: @TylerSmith_ISL
