Pacers blown out by Bucks as Siakam wonders where the fight is

INDIANAPOLIS – Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays, I hope this story finds you during some sort of break in your life during which you can reset with family or with a deep breath plus a smile. The Pacers sure could use that themselves.

On Tuesday, the blue and gold were smoked in Gainbridge Fieldhouse by the Milwaukee Bucks for their sixth-straight loss. We'll get to the game in a moment – the Pacers can't score. They also are losing so much that it's wearing thin on Pascal Siakam, who articulated his emotions well in his postgame presser on Tuesday.

"Yeah, it's hard," he said when I asked him about keeping his own spirit up. He had a lot more to say. "Basketball means a lot to me and it definitely drives a lot of my life. [My life is] just basketball, basketball mostly, and then my family. So just not having fun out there... it's what gives you the energy in anything. After I leave the game, if we win, it kind of commands how the rest of my day is gonna go. If I played bad or if we lost, it messes up everything for me. So I really care about it. And I just hate losing. So it's not fun. It's hard. I don't think I've been the happiest, maybe I've gotta fix it. I don't look good (emotionally) out there most of the time just because I can't stand it. It drives me crazy. I'm trying to find a solution. I'm trying to get better... It dictates my attitude and the way I am."

Sometimes, to Siakam, it doesn't feel like his team is giving it their all. Can you blame him for feeling that way right now? The Pacers are 30th in offensive rating, and last by a fair bit, across the last six games. It felt like they were turning a corner a few weeks ago – now, they look like the worst team in the NBA.

Siakam went on to describe some of his film-watching process after games, then shared his belief that the team won't get out of their current rut until losing hurts others more than it currently does. Dustin Dopirak of the Indianapolis Star followed up with a good question, asking Siakam if he sees the same level of investment that he is putting in elsewhere.

"I don't know. The product is not good. Like, we're losing games. We gotta figure it out. We all gotta ask ourselves, 'What can we do?' And everyone gotta come in and want to make a change and want to win," he said. "We gotta do more. I don't know the solution. Like, I'm trying to find it. But I think we've all gotta question ourselves, 'Is this important or not?'."

Circle City Spin

The Indiana Pacers and Indiana Fever, up close

Circle City SpinTony East

That level of honesty is refreshing, and also a bit concerning for the Pacers. Losing stinks, especially when it comes with such whiplash. The Pacers spent the first part of 2025 winning often, then reached the NBA Finals. Now, they are winning one out of every five games. It's not fun for anyone, even if it is somewhat understandable given the team's health reality.

The Pacers have yet to play a single game or minute with the top seven players they expected to have this season all available at once. They've only played one game with six of that top seven, and Andrew Nembhard got hurt in the first quarter of that outing. It's comprehensible how the Pacers season got to this point.

Yet still, even with injuries and a much-lower ceiling, getting blown out every night is painful. Close losses with signs of progress would be one thing. Tuesday night was the latest showing of the opposite for the Pacers, who were down by 18 in the first half and saw their deficit reach 25.

Their offense was brutally bad. The top-scoring quarter for the blue and gold was the fourth quarter, in which they scored... 26 points. For the game, the Pacers shot 40.7% from the field and 25.8% from deep. After a dismal second half in Boston, the team returned home and still couldn't score.

Three games in four nights with travel in between each game is as tough as it gets. The Pacers crossed timezones in that stretch and lost both T.J. McConnell and Isaiah Jackson to injuries during those three games. They added another player in James Wiseman along the way. There are, as there have been all season, many things the team could point to as reason for failures.

That doesn't make it any easier from a spirit perspective. Especially when, again, these games haven't been close. "I think the frustrating part sometimes is, obviously we have six wins, but some of the losses it looks like we haven't played to our full potential," T.J. McConnell said postgame. "We haven't fought the way we do."

Even in a season where more losses were expected, there is nothing to gain from atrocious offensive nights where the Pacers don't show enough fight. It's starting to, as evidenced by the words McConnell and Siakam shared, impact the feeling around some players. That can spread. Those two are veteran leaders and will do everything they can to keep the team heading in the right direction, as will the coaching staff.

The Pacers need to respond. McConnell (7/9 for 16 points plus six assists) and Johnny Furphy (six points and three rebounds with spirited defense) were bright spots against the Bucks. Siakam had 15 points on 6/10 shooting, a substandard statistical night from him but a fine outing overall. Everyone else has to be better and carry the right energy. It's a requirement for a team searching for offensive answers and fight. They're 6-24 and host the Boston Celtics tonight.

It wouldn't be a Pacers game without roster notes

Keep an eye on the center rotation and possible transactions

Myles Turner, Isaiah Jackson, James Wiseman, Jay Huff, and Tony Bradley were all within the orbit of Pacers-Bucks. Just don't ask about the context around it all. What a list of names that have been said hundreds of times when it comes to the Pacers and centers in the last 15 months.

As you can see a bit in the above picture, Bradley is dealing with a fractured thumb on his shooting hand. Jackson has a concussion and missed Pacers-Bucks. Huff is healthy but struggling mightily of late – his three-point percentage this season is back below 30%. Wiseman was filling in on a 10-day hardship deal and, somehow, played his first regular season home game for the Pacers on Tuesday night.

With Wiseman back on the team after about two months spent in free agency, he wasn't quite ready for big-minute responsibilities. Huff is in a rut. Jackson and Bradley are injured. The reasons why are obvious, yet it was telling that the Pacers closed both Pacers-Celtics and Pacers-Bucks this week without a center on the floor. In Boston, the Pacers were winning entering the fourth quarter and had a Jarace Walker plus Siakam frontcourt on the court to close the game.

Milwaukee came to town and entered the fourth quarter with a huge lead. The Pacers still pushed with most of their top talents on the floor in the final period, but head coach Rick Carlisle opted for a frontcourt of Siakam and Furphy. Another game without a center in crunch time.

Also of note when it comes to centers – in Pacers-Bucks, Bradley played rotation minutes... with his fractured thumb. Carlisle believed a limited Bradley was his best option at the five.

That was telling. Jackson was, of course, out with a concussion. Wiseman's 10-day deal has since expired. All of this is to say, the Pacers should probably consider a move at center.

Maybe, between Tyrese Haliburton, Ben Sheppard, Aaron Nesmith, and Obi Toppin, the Pacers can be granted another hardship exception that they can use on a big man. Perhaps signing another five would require waiving one of Garrison Mathews or Bradley from their non-guaranteed deal. But currently, with Wiseman no longer on the team, Huff struggling, and both Jackson (out) and Bradley (limited) banged up, the Pacers need a five.

They could just bring Wiseman back again. If the front office goes the route of traditionally-skilled bigs, that would make sense. But as this team has done with other emergency signees this season, perhaps a fresh skillset (more shooting?) would be worth a look. The mechanics and specifics are unknown right now, but it wouldn't shock me if a fresh face at center is on the Pacers soon.

NBA contracts all become guaranteed in less than two weeks. That means the Pacers could still sign a new big on a quasi-tryout deal if they want to. A move is not a requirement, but keep an eye on a transaction at the five for the Pacers. It might help them be more potent on offense, which could lead to wins and, thus, much better vibes.

Thank you for reading. I hope you had a lovely Holiday if you celebrated something. Sorry for the break in stories, I was spending time with family. Games are back for the Pacers tonight – if you want stories like these delivered straight into your inbox, sign up below.