Pacers lose to Knicks in second game for Ivica Zubac as Rick Carlisle explains injury reporting process
That's 12 losses in a row for the Pacers.
INDIANAPOLIS – The Pacers got T.J. McConnell, Obi Toppin, and Aaron Nesmith back from injury on Friday night against the Knicks, making the game a perfect opportunity for evaluation. Ivica Zubac was in the lineup for the second time and had a chance to suit up alongside many of his new teammates.
With more talent available, the Pacers put together a good outing. Most of the game was played with a score margin within seven, and the Pacers held a lead late in the third quarter after Nesmith hit a three to make the score 74-73. It marked just the fourth lead for the Pacers in the second half of a game since the All-Star break – and the first one that didn't come against an inverse-standings minded team.
Yet despite the Pacers best defensive performance since January 12 (101 points allowed) and more talent on the floor than they've had of late (sans Siakam), the Pacers still couldn't get a win. Their own offense got in the way late, and two Knicks starters made a huge impact.
Tony East
"I thought tonight was a very, very hard-fought game. This felt like an Eastern Conference game with real meaning to it," Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said postgame.
His team struggled to make shots for much of the night, finishing at just 39.3% from the field. But the Pacers defense finally showed some progress. After giving up 120-plus points in nine of the prior 10 games, the Pacers held the Knicks well below that mark and kept the final margin within 10. That's been a tall task of late.
The game became more challenging for the Pacers in the fourth quarter. After increasing their point total in every period, the Pacers scored just 18 in the fourth – including just six in the final 3:54. At multiple points in the final frame, it was a one possession game.
"I thought we had some looks that didn't go down," Carlisle said of the late-game offense.
Also a challenge for the Pacers: Jalen Brunson and Mitchell Robinson. Brunson, as he does, led the offensive charge for the Knicks with 29 points and nine assists. His head fakes and scoring prowess kept getting the Pacers off balance, and he took eight free throws as a result.
Robinson, meanwhile, pulled in 22 rebounds, including nine on the offensive end. That gave the Knicks many extra possessions, an important factor in a nine-point win.
"I gotta be better, man," Zubac said postgame of his rebounding battles with Robinson. "I don't remember the last time I allowed that many offensive rebounds."
No Pacer reached 20 points or even 10 rebounds – Jarace Walker was the closest in both categories with 18 and nine, respectively. In a game that was close for much of the night, standout contributors were the difference.
Despite the improved defense and fight, the Pacers fell 101-92 for loss number 12 in a row. 13 is the franchise record which was set... earlier this season. They'll try to avoid that fate again in Milwaukee on Sunday.
Also of note from Pacers-Knicks...
Rick Carlisle explains Pacers injury communications
Before Pacers-Knicks even started, Carlisle had something he wanted to share. He sat down pregame and detailed some of the injury reporting process that the Pacers currently follow with the NBA – they are very banged up and already eliminated from the postseason.
This is a lot of information but is certainly worth reading in full
Rick Carlisle: "I want to talk about the ongoing conversations that we have with the league on really a nightly basis as far as who's going to play, who's hurt, all those kinds of things. I know there's a lot of noise out there about this, that, and the other, but we talk to a gentleman in the league office named Drew Galbraith before every game. This goes back to probably mid-January. Drew works with Dave Weiss. These are highly respected people. And they were looking out for the sanctity of the game. There's a lot going on in the world, etc. And yesterday in particular, I want to explain, we talked to the league, they talked to us. I'm not sure who calls who, but our general manager Chad Buchanan and our head trainer Josh Corbeil are talking to these guys on a very, very consistent basis. Now, we explained that heading into this stretch, five games in seven days with two guys that had just gone down with injuries, that being Quenton Jackson and Pascal Siakam, that we were going to be really strapped with trying to get through these five games with only two off days without having to really be strategic about how to do it and how to use the guys on two-way contracts. So our guys on two-way contracts, two of them have 11 or 12 games left that they can play. And Ethan Thompson now has nine, I believe. So we have to be strategic about that. None of those guys will be active tonight. We're saving their games. So last night, Zubac and Nembhard only played the first half. That was planned. The league was made aware of that, and they were aware of our plans to try to work through this very busy period. So I just want to make it clear that these conversations are ongoing. They happen very frequently. To my knowledge, they began really back in January. We rested four guys in Detroit after a busy week where we played three games in five days at home, then had a back-to-back. And there was a conversation about that and they understood our position. And the NBA season is a lot of wear and tear, and we're competing. Our guys are competing hard in these games. Pascal went a hard 30 minutes in Portland and then came up with a swollen right knee. And so everything is very proactive. We're very proactive with reporting. They're proactive with talking to us. We're not going to make public our exact plans for every game. That would be foolish. It would be a bad decision from a strategy standpoint. But tonight, of the guys that are available, I forget who's exactly what, Nesmith's playing, McConnell's playing, Toppin's playing, I think those guys are probable on the list. Nembhard and Zubac will play. There's a minute amount there that is somewhat of a guideline... the two-ways will be inactive. I just want to explain that all of this stuff is very carefully monitored from both perspectives, the league perspective and from the team perspective. And I'm certain, I don't know everybody else's business, but I'm certain that they're talking very consistently to other teams in our situation as well."
That's a lot to digest but useful information to know. In the Pacers Thursday night loss vs the Suns, Nembhard and Zubac only played in the first half. I asked postgame that night about that decision and Carlisle confirmed it was a pre-determined plan. The NBA already knew.
After Carlisle's lengthy comments above, I asked if this is something his team had to do in past seasons or if this is unique to the Pacers current health and record reality. "It's been a year of extraordinary circumstance," he said. "The hope is we're not going through something like this again."
And later, I asked Knicks head coach Mike Brown how he has seen the process of injury management evolve during his time as an NBA coach. "It's evolved drastically." he began, then citing some things the San Antonio Spurs did with older players and load management. "It's all unique because the [medical] staffs have gotten bigger... they're a lot smarter than what we were back in the day."
Ivica Zubac discusses his first two games
Zubac went to the podium with Walker after Pacers-Knicks and discussed his first two games with the Pacers. He admitted he was nervous before his debut outing on Thursday. "Just playing for a different team after so many years. When I got traded, I didn't get a chance to play right away, and it was like five weeks or something like that," Zubac shared of his emotions. "So just waiting the whole time, trying to get ready for the game, and wanted to get that first one out of the way to just see how it feels to wear this jersey and play with these guys."
So far, he's found the Pacers playstyle fun – the way his teammates are aggressive when looking to score has stood out. Zubac has enjoyed the player and ball movement part of the game too, and his passing has been impressive through two games.
In those games, the Pacers major trade deadline acquisition is averaging 9.5 points and 7.0 rebounds per game – though one of his appearances was limited to only one half. His per-minute numbers are just a tick below what they were for the Clippers this season.
"He makes the game easy. Pick and roll is easy. Just having a lob threat, just all that rim pressure, great post-up player," Walker said of Zubac. "He's good though. Really good. Easy to play with. Fun to play with."
It was meaningful for Zubac to get court time with new teammates on Friday night, but he's already identified that no matter who is on the floor, the Pacers play the same way. Cutting, passing, and movement are constants.
He wasn't happy with his performance against Robinson but has been otherwise solid so far, particularly as a screener. That's the skill his teammates continue to compliment when asked about Zubac.
I asked him where that skill came from. "I felt like I was always good with screens, angles, understanding the angles and what the guys like," Zubac began. "But Tyson Chandler, I played with him on the Lakers. He was big on screens, being big on those angles, and he was always in my ear telling me what I've got to do when defense does something. And he was big about the screens."
So far, that has opened lanes for Pacers ball handlers. It will only get better with more reps, and the next chance for that will come for the Pacers on Sunday in Milwaukee against the rival Bucks.
Thank you for reading. I'll be in Milwaukee tomorrow where the Pacers' old starting center may just face off with their new one. Subscribe to have those stories sent straight to your inbox.
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