T.J. McConnell returns as Pacers fall in Mexico City: Six things learned
The Pacers battled in Mexico City on Saturday night.
My garage, IND. – For the 12th time in franchise history, the Pacers played in a game outside of the United States or Canada. They "hosted" the Denver Nuggets at Arena CDMX on Saturday night, the 35th NBA game played in Mexico.
For more on the details behind this game, check out this story from April. The Pacers went to Paris two seasons ago and will be involved in more Global Games soon. In this instance, there was a bit of irony as they were the home team but playing a Nuggets group that is used to playing in the altitude in Denver – Mexico City is about 2,000 feet higher in sea-level elevation than the Mile High City.
This one was not going to be easy for the Pacers. But they were more whole, getting both T.J. McConnell and Kelly Oubre back from injuries. Depth is vital in games like this.
Both the Pacers and Nuggets are behind expectations so far this season. What did we learn in the meeting between the two teams?
Tony East
The Pacers missed a ton of shots early
The Pacers weren't playing at their best, but many of their struggles in this one could be traced back to their poor shot making to start this game.
They made their first three-point shot of the night, then missed eight in a row to close out the first quarter. The Pacers didn't make a second three until Andrew Nembhard hit a jumper early in the second frame.
There were certainly other challenges for the Pacers, but they were behind throughout much of the first half because they couldn't make a thing. After two quarters, the Pacers were 5/23 on threes and 16/48 overall.
"I thought we had some good shots. We didn't make them, which doesn't help," forward Pascal Siakam told reporters postgame.
The Nuggets weren't even shooting 50% from the field yet had 64 points at the break. It was an up-tempo game. In the third quarter, the Pacers were much better from beyond the arc, and it allowed them to cut their deficit down from 27 all the way down to 10.
Much of this battle came down to shot making, and the Pacers didn't do it until the second half. Even after a 10/25 second half, the Pacers finished this game 15/48 from beyond the arc.
Ivica Zubac looked much better
After a tough outing against the Grizzlies on Wednesday, Ivica Zubac bounced back in a big way on Saturday. He hit the glass, finished shots, and made Nikola Jokic feel his presence.
The Croatian big man had a double-double by the middle of the third quarter, pulling in 12 rebounds while adding 10 points. The Pacers were nearly even in Zubac's minutes through three quarters (-3) while they were -9 in the 21 minutes he sat.
His production and force were far better in this game than they were three days ago. That's vital for the Pacers.
Zubac's final stat line in 19 minutes: 10 points, 12 rebounds, five assists.
The Pacers weren't good enough with Nikola Jokic on the bench
Nikola Jokic, the Nuggets three-time MVP, is one of the best players alive. Denver almost always outscores their opponent in his minutes.
One of the keys to beating the Nuggets is to take advantage when Jokic is on the bench. But this was a massive failure for the Pacers on Saturday night.
The star big man usually plays for most/all of the first and third quarters, then checks in during the second and fourth frames when appropriate. In the second quarter of his game, Jokic didn't enter for over six minutes because Denver kept extending their lead with the Serbian on the bench.
At halftime, Denver was +11 with Jokic sitting out. That trend, to the Pacers credit, was muted in the second half as the Pacers bench improved.
In what ended as a 12-point game, the Nuggets were +8 with Jokic on the bench. That played a massive role in the result.
Larry Nance Jr hardly missed
Larry Nance Jr entered this game shooting 5/17 from deep for the season, good for just over 29%.
He made his first five – all from the corners – against the Nuggets, including a trio in the third quarter to get the Pacers close again.
"All I did was make open shots," Nance said postgame. "It's those guys creating the looks for me. And they made it easy."
The veteran big man has been an improved shooter across the last three seasons of his career, but that had not translated to the Pacers until Saturday night. Nance's final stat line: 15 points and two rebounds on 5/7 shooting from beyond the arc.
The Pacers came alive in the second half
Siakam was outstanding to start the third quarter, scoring six quick points.
The Pacers finally made shots in the second half after being dreadful in the first two quarters.
Jalen Slawson played more after halftime and added juice to the game.
Jarace Walker improved tremendously in the second half.
"I thought our force and energy was way better in the second half," Siakam said. "And that's the way we've got to start the game."
So many crucial things were going well for the Pacers after a poor first two quarters. They were able to cut their 27-point deficit down as low as seven, giving themselves a chance late despite some miserable early shooting.
The Pacers couldn't hit a big shot late
With about three minutes to go, Siakam missed a corner three that would have cut the Nugget lead to six. Aaron Nesmith did the same on the next possession. To the Pacers credit, they were battling, but they were running out of time to make a late push.
In the final five minutes of this game, the Pacers went 1/5 from deep as their shooting woes returned. They were unable to finish a comeback, falling against the Nuggets.
The Pacers fell 114-102 to the Nuggets, falling to 3-7.
Thank you for reading. A Pacers notebook, coming tomorrow, then a game in Dallas on Monday. Sign up and you won't miss any of it.
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