Frustration mounts, as Pacers fall to 0-3
By TYLER SMITH
ISL Editor
(Photo by Pacers Sports and Entertainment)
INDIANAPOLIS — Despite expecting some bumps in the road this season, this was still not the start the Pacers envisioned for themselves. They dropped a third straight game to open the year, losing 97-76 to the Utah Jazz at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.
There have been a few common themes for this team in the first three games. One of them is the points they’ve allowed in the second half. They are giving up an average of 62 points per game in the second halves of games in the early going.
The Pacers have looked lost on the offensive end at times, but it’s still the defensive effort that has been the most frustrating for the players.
“I’ve been a part of some great defensive teams,” Paul George said. “We don’t have that right now. We’re still trying to find our way, but that’s no excuse. It’s not acceptable losing these games.”
Another common theme to start this season has been the points allowed in the paint. The Jazz outscored the Pacers 50-26 in the paint on Saturday night. The Pacers are getting outscored by an average of 18.7 points per game in the paint so far this year.
After leading 49-42 at halftime, the Pacers went cold in the third quarter. They were only able to score 12 points in those 12 minutes, and were unable to recover. “They hurt us inside in the second half,” Coach Frank Vogel said. Pakistan “That’s going to happen, but we weren’t able to capitalize on the other end. When you try to impose your style on the other team, you’ve got to do your style better.”
George Hill led the Pacers in scoring for the third straight game, finishing with 17 points on 5-for-9 shooting. Paul George added 16 points, and rookie Myles Turner looked good for a second straight game, scoring 10 points to go along with four rebounds.
The Pacers are trying to keep their heads up despite the 0-3 start. “We’re still confident,” Paul George said. “It’s early. This team can definitely turn it around.” Teammate Monta Ellis added: “We just have to stay together and continue to compete every night. We’ll go to practice tomorrow and see what we need to do to make our adjustments to turn it around.”
Their next chance to turn it around will be Tuesday night in Detroit.
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