Pacers reach bottom of NBA standings after loss vs Kings
The Pacers "lost" once again.
MY COUCH, Ind. – Two teams with 15 wins battled on Tuesday night. They were the 15th seeds in their respective conferences and both about 15 games back of the Play-In Tournament.
Pacers-Kings was not a game of major consequence when it came to wins. Less than 48 hours later, they are the only two NBA teams eliminated from postseason contention. But there were still stakes in the inverse standings, and both teams are in a state of evaluation when it comes to young players, lineup combinations, and new pieces.
The result of the game was still important for both clubs. Every team inside the bottom-six of the NBA's standings is 2-8 or worse inside their last 10 games... except for Sacramento, who is 4-6. They've made up ground recently. So as each of the league's worst squads tumble to the bottom, games between two teams within the bottom six become noteworthy. Someone is going to win.
Tony East
They almost count double in the loss column. By losing, a team low in the standings doesn't get a win. By losing to another team near the bottom of the win-loss rankings, the opposing team does get a win. It's a meaningful result.
Sacramento beat Indiana 114-109. The Pacers now hold the NBA's worst record at 15-50. This loss specifically does not change the Pacers lottery chances – so long as they hold a bottom-three record, they possess the top odds for the May 10 drawing. But seeing the Kings get a win increases the Pacers' chances that, come seasons end, they will sit among the league's worst three win-loss ratios. Their current competition: Sacramento, Washington, and Brooklyn. The Pacers lost to the Wizards twice coming out of the All-Star break, then the Kings on Tuesday. They play the Nets in Brooklyn on April 9.
That's the Pacers only remaining game this season against another team in the bottom eight. By then, both the Pacers and Nets standings fate may be sealed.
In Sacramento, the Pacers fate was sealed thanks to a poor final 17 minutes of play. For a while, they were rolling. Aaron Nesmith had a tremendous game, Obi Toppin poured in shots, and Kam Jones was a confident jump shooter. That, combined with poor play from Kings veterans, had the Pacers ahead 78-58 with 4:40 to go in the third quarter.
Moments earlier, the Kings brought young guard Killian Hayes into the game. Their lineup at the time: Hayes, Maxime Raynaud, Daeqwon Plowden, Russell Westbrook, and Nique Clifford. Devin Carter, importantly, entered the game for Westbrook 25 seconds later.
That's a lot of young players. Carter had yet to score, but nothing else was working for Sacramento. They turned to youth, mixing in a few vets along the way down the stretch. And it clicked.
The Pacers had a wobbly lineup on the floor at the time, and they conceded a 12-2 run to end the quarter. The Kings were down just 10. Slowly, that number dropped, and Carter hit a three-point shot with 4:16 to go in the fourth quarter that gave Sacramento a 99-98 lead. It took them almost exactly 12 minutes to erase a 20-point deficit.
"End of the third quarter obviously was a big problem for us, and their bench just played an unbelievable last 15 minutes of the game," Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said.
Nesmith took the lead back on the very next play, but the tug of war immediately went back to the Kings. Sacramento ended up winning by five and outscored the Pacers by 25 in the final 16:40.
The Pacers looked good for 30 minutes, but the result still wasn't in their favor. They've lost 10 games in a row and now sit alone at the bottom of the NBA's standings: 15 wins, the 15th seed, and officially eliminated from the postseason.
It might pay off if the lottery comes with good fortune. The Kings winning is helpful for the Pacers in that way. Carter's 24 points down the stretch and the Pacers poor close made the result tip to the now second-to-last placed Sacramento squad – with a trip home finally coming for the Pacers.
Aaron Nesmith finally gets going
After Pacers vs Lakers last week, I included a note in my story about a question I asked Nesmith concerning his two-point finishing this season. He has really struggled inside the arc.
"It seems like it's been a tough season for me just to find my rhythm. I couldn't tell you the last time I've played like seven or 10 games in a row," he said. "I just feel like I'm getting in, then I'm getting out, then I'm getting in, then I'm getting out. So it's been an up and down season."
Presciently, he concluded with: "I'm just looking forward to hopefully finishing these last 20 games or so with a strong stretch."
He may have been on to something. Against the Kings, he was the Pacers best available talent and played like it. Nesmith, despite an off night (2/7) from three-point range, finished with 29 points, four rebounds, and three assists. He didn't turn the ball over once and the Pacers won his minutes by six.
It was Nesmith's second-highest scoring game this season. He made eight two-point shots, a career-best mark, and got to the free throw line for seven free throw attempts. That's his second-most this season.
While it has been a bumpy efficiency season for Nesmith, he reminded everyone, including himself, what he is capable of in Sacramento. "He had a great start," Carlisle said of Nesmith. "They made adjustments at halftime and they paid a lot of attention to him. The guy had 24 points in 16 (first half) minutes."
Jalen Slawson debuts
Jalen Slawson, a new Pacers two-way signee, made his debut for the Pacers in Sacramento. Fittingly, that's where he spent his rookie season in the NBA.
The Furman product didn't score, but he did pull in three rebounds and dish out three assists. For a player who hadn't appeared in an NBA game since April 14, 2024, looking comfortable was a plus.
Slawson will have to make some shots if he wants to prove he deserves a chance on next year's Pacers (my favorite Slawson stat after his 0/2 came from two three-point shots on Tuesday: He's still never missed a two in the NBA). But he's back in a league after some time away and will get 12 more chances to prove himself.
Also, Obi Toppin played in both halves for the first time since returning from injury and Ivica Zubac might debut soon. Anyways, thank you for reading and subscribing. The Pacers start a back-to-back tonight, if you want stories from those games and more sent to your inbox, you can sign up below.
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