How Did Rick Carlisle Assess Pacers Loss to Magic?

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Lance Roberson | Last updated Nov 13, 2024 10:52 PM ET

The Indiana Pacers lost 94-90 to the Paolo Banchero-less Orlando Magic on Wednesday evening. Following the disappointing loss, the Pacers fell to 5-6. Despite positive signs from Bennedict Mathurin, who posted a double-double with 23 points and 12 rebounds, and Pascal Siakam's 25 points, Pacers' head coach Rick Carlisle assessed two reasons for the loss to the Magic.

The Pacers' interior attack and defense suffered a devastating blow when both of their backup centers, James Wiseman and Isaiah Jackson, suffered season-ending Achilles injuries. Expectations for Myles Turner heightened in light of the aforementioned injuries. However, despite his athletic ability, Turner mustered only two rebounds against a Magic team missing their starting center, Wendell Carter Jr.

Orlando dominated Indiana in the fourth quarter with a 22-6 run. Following the loss, Carlisle pointed to the fourth-quarter drought and why it occurred.

"The level of physicality of the game increased even more in the fourth quarter," Carlisle said. "The first three or four minutes hurt us. ... We needed to do a much better job of rebounding the ball and avoiding crowds offensively. Probably needed to pass it more."

Orlando won the rebound battle, grabbing 51 to Indiana's 41 boards. Moreover, to Carlisle's point of the Pacers losing themselves in crowds, seven of their 16 turnovers occurred in the fourth quarter.

The Pacers failed to protect the ball and score, which, on a fundamental level, is how you lose a basketball game. Orlando's elite defense suffocated Indiana, holding last season's second-ranked offense to an abysmal 26 percent in the fourth quarter.

The Magic currently lead the regular-season series 2-1 over the Pacers. Indiana will seek refuge on Friday when it hosts the Miami Heat for an Emirates NBA Cup contest.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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