The Indiana Pacers barely got off the bus before the Dallas Mavericks had them in a hole.
Indiana allowed 44 points in the opening quarter and 77 in the first half, turning what should have been an early-season test into a 16-point blowout that was never really in doubt. It was a brutal follow-up to the first game of the season, and the kind of loss that leaves bigger questions than just the final score.
Yes, it’s still early. There are 80 more games to go, and every team in the league is going to drop some.
No one goes 82-0. That part is simple.
What isn’t so simple is the way the Pacers unravelled.
Their offense never found its rhythm, looking slow and stuck in place. Ivica Zubac, the biggest addition from Indiana’s gap year, took only seven shots and finished as the team’s worst minus-23.
The rotation got stranger, too, with Jarace Walker starting over Kelly Oubre. Neither player produced a good night.
Then there was the defense, or the lack of one. Kyrie Irving, playing in just his second game back from an ACL tear, scored 24 points as Indiana looked overwhelmed on that end of the floor. It was the kind of performance that brought back the uncomfortable chatter from this summer.
That’s the real issue here. The Pacers have enough defensive pieces to be at least respectable. Pascal Siakam, Andrew Nembhard, Aaron Nesmith, Kelly Oubre Jr. and Ivica Zubac all bring defensive value individually, and the rest of the roster at least competes.
But the results haven’t matched the theory. Indiana has surrendered 30-plus points in every first-half quarter across its first two games. Even after storming back in Game 1 against the New Orleans Pelicans, the Pacers keep digging themselves into early deficits.
Being the “Devil Magic” Pacers - the team that never quite dies - is fun until it becomes a habit. There’s only so much ground a team can keep making up before the cracks start to matter.
At this point, the Pacers’ defense is not living up to the standard, and leaning on comeback mode every night is a dangerous way to live. For a roster that could be very good and very entertaining, that’s the sort of flaw that can swallow the whole thing.
In Other News...
Pacers Home Opener Turned Ugly After Aaron Nesmith Set Off Chaos
Tyrese Haliburtons first home game back at Gainbridge Fieldhouse after returning from his Achilles injury had the kind of energy Indiana expected, with the Pacers welcoming the Dallas Mavericks in a spot that should have been about celebration and a fresh start. Instead, the mood shifted in a hurry when Aaron Nesmith delivered a hard foul on Cooper Flagg, turning a normal early-season atmosphere into something far more tense.
Flagg hurt his left shoulder on the play and was ruled out for the rest of the game, and the officials responded by issuing technical fouls to both Nesmith and Naji Marshall in the aftermath. For a night that was supposed to center on Haliburtons return and the buildings first look at him at home, the Pacers quickly found themselves dealing with the kind of chaos no one in the arena wanted to see. [Read more 🡒]
Pacers Suddenly Face Heat Over One Hard Foul On Cooper Flagg
A hard foul by Aaron Nesmith on Cooper Flagg turned into one of the sharper talking points from the Pacers game against the Mavericks, especially after Flagg came away with a left shoulder injury and did not return because of soreness. Nesmith was assessed a flagrant one on the play, and even in a game Indiana ultimately lost, the moment quickly became the kind of sequence that travels far beyond the box score.
For the Pacers, the fallout was less about the result and more about the optics of a play that drew immediate criticism on social media. Hard fouls happen, but this one left Flagg hurt, gave Dallas a tangible edge in the moment and put Nesmith squarely in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons. [Read more 🡒]
Pacers Still Have One Alarming Problem After Blowout Loss
The Pacers loss to Dallas was not just a bad night on the scoreboard, it was the kind of game that highlighted how far they still have to go defensively. The Mavericks controlled the flow from early on and never really let Indiana settle in, even as Tyrese Haliburton and Pascal Siakam managed to put together productive nights for the Pacers. Kyrie Irvings 24 points set the tone for Dallas, while PJ Washington added 20 points and 13 rebounds to keep the pressure on throughout.
What stood out most for Indiana was how little resistance it could offer when the game tilted out of reach. The offense had stretches of frustration as well, and Kelly Oubre Jr. endured a rough shooting night that only added to the teams struggles. For a Pacers group that has spent much of the season trying to prove it can hold up on both ends, this was the latest reminder that one glaring issue still needs fixing. [Read more 🡒]