How Does Defense Correlate with Pacers Dip?

Washington is the worst franchise in the NBA, and Indiana beat it by the hair on its chin.

Before the lowly victory over the Wizards, the Pacers lost to their playoff rivals, the New York Knicks, 128-115. 

But the primary issue of the Pacers stares at them with a 100-mile glare. 

In their loss to the Nuggets, the Pacers' defense allowed 74 points in the paint. Such dips in defense have made the Pacers the 27th-ranked team in defensive rating over the past five games. 

The teams below the Pacers in the same stretch are the Philadelphia 76ers, Charlotte Hornets, and the Knicks.

Although the Knicks have the worst defense regarding defensive rating over the past five games, the Pacers lost by 13 points to such an underperforming team. 

Moreover, being in the same company as the Hornets and the disappointing 76ers bodes for a terrible stretch. 

Pacers center Myles Turner plays a pivotal role in the team's abysmal defensive outing. On Monday, Turner only grabbed two rebounds against the Nuggets. However, for as bad as Turner was on the boards, he is only one of two players to record a block for the Pacers. 

The Pacers' dip in defense allowed the Milwaukee Bucks to take a slight lead for the Eastern Conference's fourth seed. Despite Giannis Antetokounmpo missing two of the last five games, Indiana couldn't capitalize on its playoff rival's injury woes. 

Unless the Pacers patch their defense, they'll likely slip out of the postseason home-court advantage tier.