Indiana Pacers finally end losing streak in Orlando as core players all shine
The Pacers won. No, really.
MY COUCH, Ind. – Pascal Siakam earned postgame interview honors for the Pacers after they beat the Magic on Wednesday night, and the smile on his face said more than he could in that moment.
After 16-straight losses, the Pacers finally emerged with a win, toppling the Magic 128-126. Siakam was heroic with a late block on Paolo Banchero, another clutch play from the All-Star forward in a season filled with many.
"Obviously, a great player," Siakam said of Banchero. "I think he beat me a little bit, so I just tried to recover as much as I can. Fortunately, I got the block."
Siakam was frustrated that he missed a shot that would have sealed the victory right before that. But the final buzzer sounded with his team ahead for the first time since February 10, and the Pacers earned win number 16.
Tony East
Players walked off the court with beaming smiles. Kam Jones flexed when the final buzzer sounded – he hit the game-winning three in the Pacers previous win, which was before the All-Star break. A few players tapped the Pacers logo on their shirt or jersey as they walked off the court.
There was a sense of pride. The players know how good they are and how normal this season could have been with regular health and typical incentives. Instead, they've set the franchise record for longest losing streak twice.
That reality is what makes every victory so special, especially with only 10 games to go. "We gotta get some wins, man. We've got to keep building as a team," Siakam said during his postgame interview. "It's been tough, man. It's been a tough year for us... we're not going to back down."
His 37 points led the Pacers. It was Siakam's 12th 30-point game of the season, and the Pacers have won four of them. His hope for the rest of the season is that the Pacers focus on the basics and keep their identity, which he loves, as alive as possible.
It was present in Orlando. Andrew Nembhard got it all started with several tremendous passes – he had 14 assists and 13 points on just nine shots. He's up to eight assists per game in the year 2026, which ranks seventh in the NBA.
Jarace Walker was awesome in the first quarter with 10 points and four rebounds, and he finished with 20 points for the night. Aaron Nesmith came alive in the third quarter and scored 19. T.J. McConnell didn't miss a shot on his way to 13 points and six assists. Obi Toppin chipped in eight points and four dimes.
It was a classic Pacers performance. Several core players from past seasons made big plays, and Ben Sheppard contributed to several stops against Banchero. Rick Carlisle rode his top talents to the win, giving Walker, Siakam, Nesmith, and Nembhard well over 30 minutes of action.
"Felt nice, man. We feel like we are a winning team that has winning principles, winning culture and we just wanted to get back to our ways," Nembhard said postgame. "Come together, have a team effort, and it was nice to get back in the winning column."
The victory pushed the Pacers to 16-56, still the worst record in the NBA. But they finally were better than their opponent, something they couldn't say after the All-Star break before Monday. It was a feel-good night and an impressive performance.
What does this win do for the standings?
The Pacers have fallen to the bottom of the NBA's standings since the All-Star break. Losing 16 games in a row will do that. With their obvious draft-related incentives in mind, it's not a poor outcome, though the team would have liked to have been more competitive in many of the 16.
By winning on Monday night, the Pacers... are still in last place. They're half a game behind the Washington Wizards in the standings and three wins shy of the fourth-to-last slotted Sacramento Kings.
The Kings (19 wins) and the Brooklyn Nets (17 wins) still play each other one time. The Kings also play the Utah Jazz and the Nets still have a game coming against the Wizards. There will be a few more wins picked up by other teams in the bottom five down the stretch of the ongoing season.
The Kings recent results (five wins since March 8) have the Pacers in a good spot to finish in the bottom five, at worst, even after beating the Magic. Should the Pacers not win again this week, they'll lock up top six odds by the conclusion of the weekend.
So, while this win puts the Pacers closer to the standings line in which their lottery odds would fall slightly, it did nothing to change their current odds. If they have a bottom-three record, they'll have the best possible chance to keep their 1-4 protected first-round pick.
Two or fewer wins in the final 10 games would guarantee the Pacers the best possible lottery odds. Add one if the Kings win one or two more times. After that, the Jazz get involved. In theory, the Pacers have wiggle room to push like they did against Orlando in a few more games, but the risk of injury to core players at this point is incentive enough to be cautious the rest of the way, especially after their upcoming homestand against big market opponents.
Noblesville Boom updates
On Sunday, the Noblesville Boom lost at home to the Austin Spurs while the Maine Celtics beat the Cleveland Charge. Those results, in tandem, officially eliminated the Boom from postseason contention.
They've been sliding in the standings for a while. With the Pacers so banged up, there haven't been opportunities for G League assignments for players like Kam Jones. Two-way talents Taelon Peter and Ethan Thompson have been with the NBA club exclusively for weeks, and former two-way player Quenton Jackson was promoted to a standard contract. That hurt the Boom's talent level.
As did the promotion of Jalen Slawson to a two-way deal – he's been with the Pacers for all but one G League game since. Between all of those moves and a few injuries, Noblesville's record tumbled after a good start to the regular season.
One of those injuries was to a former Pacers player, Cody Martin. He suffered a right shoulder injury on March 18 against the Greensboro Swarm, and his 2025-26 season is over. He played in four games for the Pacers in November.
With so many guys going down or getting other opportunities, many familiar faces have joined the Boom this month. Former Mad Ant (twice) Jordan Bell re-signed with the team last week, for example, and has already played in two games for the team.
Keion Brooks Jr., a Fort Wayne native who played in 14 games for the New Orleans Pelicans last season, was acquired by Noblesville in a trade earlier this month. A 2027 G League first rounder was sent out in the deal, and the rights to Steven Ashworth went to the Birmingham Squadron. The following day, former Purdue wing and former Mad Ant Dakota Mathias signed with the Boom.
Noblesville concludes their season with a home game on Thursday against the Charge. They're currently 15-20.
Thank you for reading. The Pacers host LeBron James, Bam Adebayo, Bennedict Mathurin, Luka Doncic, and Isaiah Jackson this week. Subscribe to have stories from each game sent straight to your inbox.
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