by Jordan Morey
In an electrifying early-week matchup with the reigning NBA champions, the Indiana Pacers came just short in the final ticks of a nail-biter.
The Pacers (24-20) led the Denver Nuggets (31-14) by eight points at halftime on Tuesday, trailed by double digits after three quarters, and came all the way back in the fourth quarter, before ultimately falling to the visitors 114-109 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
Down 93-81 after three quarters, Pacers veteran point guard T.J. McConnell scored 11 points to start the final frame before a series of key plays on both ends of the floor by rookie Ben Sheppard put the Pacers ahead 103-102 with 3:42 left in the game.
The teams tied the score twice before two-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic put back an offensive rebound to give the Nuggets a 109-107 lead with 1:38 left. Denver then got a stop on the next possession, and Jamal Murray sprinted for a basket that was called a goaltend to make it a two-possession game.
A tip-in by Pascal Siakam made it 111-109 with 28 seconds remaining, but Jokic drilled a 3-pointer at the top of the arc with 4.8 ticks left to close the game.
“The two defining plays of the game were the three at the end of the first half and the three that put the game away,” Pacers head coach Rick Carlslie said. “(Nikola Jokic) is just much more aggressive to look for those shots – there’s zero hesitation. We were up on a couple of them and he hit them right over us. Those are great players making great plays.”
Indiana has now lost three straight games, and eight in a row to the Nuggets. The Pacers returned home Tuesday after a six-game road trip, and will play their next three games in Indianapolis.
While he had already played in two games for the Blue & Gold, Siakam made his Gainbridge Fieldhouse debut, finishing with a stat line of 16 points, 10 rebounds and four assists.
Jokic recorded a triple-double in the win, accounting for 31 points (13-for-19 FG), 13 rebounds and 10 assists, and Murray also scored 31 on 11-for-24 shooting.
Myles Turner led the Pacers with 22 points, McConnell scored 17 and dished-out seven assists, and Andrew Nembhard – starting for an injured Tyrese Haliburton – added 15 points and seven assists.
Overall, the Pacers shot 43-for-87 (5-for-21 from 3-point range) while the Nuggets made 44 of 88 shots (11-for-33 3-point). The five made 3-pointers matched a season-low for Indiana.
Shooting 61 percent, but making just three 3-pointers, and limiting the Nuggets to 46.9 percent from the field, the Pacers built a 62-54 halftime lead. Siakam had 12 points in the first half for the Pacers while Murray scored 20 and Jokic had 15 for the Nuggets.
FIRST QUARTER
Indiana shot 63.2 percent, but didn’t make a 3-pointer, and used a 14-6 run midway through the first quarter, to build a 29-28 by the end of the frame.
Siakam came out on fire to start, making four of his first five shot attempts and a pair of free throws for 10 points to give the Pacers an 18-15 lead eight minutes into the game.
Back-to-back baskets by Nembhard and free throws by Turner pushed the Indiana lead to 26-21, before a mini Nuggets 8-5 run closed the quarter to make it a one-point game.
Murray carried the offensive load for the visitors in the first quarter, shooting 5-for-7 for 12 points.
SECOND QUARTER
Bennedict Mathurin was hot to start the second quarter, scoring five quick points and tossing an alley-oop dunk to Obi Toppin to help the Pacers to a 16-8 run and a 45-36 lead with seven minutes left in half.
The Pacers stayed ahead by double digits for much of the remainder of the half, but seven points by Jokic in the last three minutes – including a 3-pointer with 3 seconds on the clock – made it an eight-point game at the break.
THIRD QUARTER
In the third quarter, the Pacers shot 8-for-22, including 0-for-7 from 3-point range, while the Nuggets made 56 percent of their shots to outscore Indiana 39-19 in the period. Eight players scored in the third quarter for the visitors, led by 12 points by Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.
The Nuggets came out hot to start the third quarter, going on a 15-4 run, which was capped by five straight points by Caldwell-Pope, to retake the lead. Carlisle was ejected – for the first time this season – with 8:07 left in the third quarter.
The Nuggets extended their hot streak to 26-9 after a 9-0 run featured an and-one from Aaron Gordon and a 3-pointer by Michael Porter Jr. to put the visitors up 82-73 with 5:15 on the clock.
Out of a timeout, a mid-range basket by McConnell stopped the bleeding and propelled an 8-3 run, but the Nuggets answered with an 8-0 in the last two minutes and led 93-81 going into the fourth quarter.
FOURTH QUARTER
McConnell scored 11 points out of the gate to start the fourth quarter, igniting a 13-5 run to narrow it to 100-95 with 6:44 left in the game.
After the Pacers split free throws a few moments later, Sheppard stole the ball on a chaotic possession and finished through contact to make it 100-98 — blowing the roof off the arena – before an Aaron Nesmith layup tied it at 100, and a Sheppard 3-pointer gave the Pacers a 103-102 edge.
“Ben Sheppard, I’m very proud of him,” McConnell said. “He gave us a spark, and that’s how you gotta play. Just to see him do that and get the crowd into it … I’m very happy for him, and big-time minutes for him tonight.”
From there, the teams battled to the end.
The Pacers continue their four-game homestand when they host Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday.
Inside the Numbers
Indiana outscored Denver 60-50 in the paint but was outrebounded 42-38.
The Pacers matched a season-low five made 3-pointers in the game while the Nuggets drained 11 from deep.
Indiana shot 15-for-17 from the free throw line and Denver went 18-for-21.
Both teams had 10 turnovers.
Aaron Nesmith matched a season best with nine rebounds.
Siakaim recorded his first double-double with the Pacers.
Indiana’s bench outscored Denver’s reserves 60-50.
There were nine ties and 12 lead changes in the game.
You Can Quote Me On That
“(Pascal) Siakam is a good player. He’s going to be very consistent. He’s going to bring something very valuable to almost every element of our game offensively and defensively. When Tyrese (Haliburton) is back, it will enhance his game even more. Right now, we are very lucky to have him with Tyrese out because he can do a lot of things that can help us.” – Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle on Siakam
“Our emphasis on it is not going to waver. Guys that consistently go that hard get everybody’s attention.” – Carlisle on the lineup on the floor at the start of the fourth quarter and their defense
“Defense is going to continue to be a theme. Our game is looking different right now offensively. We’re not getting the threes up we were. Some of that is not having Tyrese out there, and some of it is making adjustments so we can get some better looks.” – Carlisle on the team
“The two defining plays of the game were the three at the end of the first half and the three that put the game away. (Nikola Jokic) is just much more aggressive to look for those shots – there’s zero hesitation. We were up on a couple of them and he hit them right over us. Those are great players making great plays.” – Carlisle on Jokic
“Every time he goes in any game – whether it’s a Mad Ants game, or a Pacers game, or a pickup game somewhere in Nashville – the guy plays the same way. He’s a relentless competitor, his energy is boundless. He just brings and exuberance to the game that helps the team. … He’s making a case for more minutes” – Carlisle on Ben Sheppard
“82 games, you just have to be ready for anything. Guys can go down at any moment. I say this all the time – it’s just the next man up. We’re professional athletes, you get paid to stay ready. When your number’s called, you go out there and do your job.” – McConnell on adjusting with new talent on the team in the middle of the season
“I’ve played against (Siakam) for a number of years now. He just brings a different element and dynamic to our team. His ability to shoot the mid-range, make the three when he’s open and get to the rim, and give us length on defense as well gives us another dynamic. We’re excited to have him and take this thing to the next level.” – McConnell on Siakam
“He has won a championship and played at the highest level in this league for a long time. He has seen all different kinds of matchups and knows what to expect. He makes the right play … that’s the best part about him. He’s a great teammate. When he’s out there, he sees the game so well he’s not going to force anything and makes the right play.” – McConnell on Siakam
“That’s who Ty is. He’s a vocal leader and is happy for every guy one through 15. The confidence that he instills in everybody … when your franchise guy is like that, it’s easy to go out there and play your game. Who he is as a teammate is incredible – one of the best I’ve been around.” – McConnell on Haliburton’s support on the bench.
“So far, I like the personnel we have. It seems like the guys care about wanting to win and I think for me that’s the most important. Just being in an environment where at the end of the day, we want to give everything we have to win. It’s a lot of encouraging things and a lot of things that we can get better at.” – Siakam on the team
“It’s been tough. The first two days of the trade I don’t think I slept at all…It’s been crazy. I’m doing my best and obviously just trying to stay ready and get ready every game. It’s something that I’ve never been through and I have to continue to adjust as I go. But the guys here have been unbelievable kind of helping me through everything, everyone from the Chads to the equipment manager. It’s been great. I’m grateful for that.” – Siakam on adapting after being traded for the first time
“That fourth quarter was an example of (the Pacers’ defensive improvement). A team like Denver that has those big guys that they have…we sat down, we defended, everyone was engaged, was talking, Ben coming in bringing us a little bit of energy, we’re going to need all of that.” – Siakam on the defense in the fourth quarter
“We had wide-open shots and I want those guys to take those shots a thousand times at the end of the day. I’ve just got to continue to make the reads. And for me, when I have two, three people on me, I did my job at the end of the day and we’re going to punish those guys next time.” – Siakam on his decision-making in crunch time
“I think we have an opportunity to be special. It’s going to take all of us coming together. I’m learning and I’m getting better. We don’t even Tyrese back yet. We have a strong core of people that play hard and give everything. I think we can continue to get better as the defense continues to get better and just me understanding the offense a little better.” – Siakam on the team
“It’s been awesome. The energy, it’s my first time here. Just to see everyone excited and I think for me the most important thing is seeing kids all excited and wanting (you) to sign things, that’s always the thing that gives me the most joy to be honest. Everyone out there, I just want them to know that you’re getting a guy that’s going to come in and I want to give everything, I want the team to be successful, and I’m going to do everything in my power to make that happen…Just to see the support I’ve seen so far from the organization from the first day that I landed, I’m getting so much support from everyone and I’m just so grateful for that.” – Siakam on his first game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse as a Pacer
“For me, I love to be coached. I want to go out there, I want to learn, I want to get better. I never feel satisfied. A coach like him, he’s a Hall of Famer. I want to learn from those types of people. So far he’s been great.” – Siakam on playing for Rick Carlisle
Stat of the Night
Nikola Jokic has 118 regular-season triple doubles. On Tuesday, it was his first against the Pacers.
Noteworthy
- USA Basketball announced a 41-athlete player pool for the 2024 USA Basketball Men’s National Team on Tuesday, and Tyrese Haliburton made the list. Haliburton played for USA during the 2023 FIBA Basketball World.
- Haliburton is expected to also miss the next two games as he manages a left hamstring strain.
- Tuesday was the 100th regular season meeting between the Pacers and Nuggets. The Nuggets lead 54-46 in the all-time head-to-head.
- Pacers guard T.J. McConnell is four assists away from hitting 3,000 for his career. Just 241 players all-time have reached the milestone.
- Jalen Smith was active pregame, but was downgraded to questionable with a sore lower back at halftime and didn’t play in the game.
Originally posted on pacers.com