Pacers’ West Coast Woes Continue in Blowout Loss to Warriors
Well, that was about as fun as a root canal. The Indiana Pacers, running on fumes and a prayer, got absolutely dismantled by the Golden State Warriors on Sunday night, falling 114-83 in a game that was ugly from the jump. This wasn’t just a loss; it was a surrender. The kind of game where you start checking your watch in the third quarter, wondering if it’s too early to call it a night.
Let’s be real, the Pacers limped into the Chase Center looking like a MAS*H unit. If you suited up for the team last night, you probably had to introduce yourself to the guy next to you in the huddle. With Pascal Siakam getting a much-needed spa day (aka “rest”) and Aaron Nesmith nursing a bruised forearm from the previous night’s skirmish in Denver, Indiana was missing some serious firepower. Add seven other guys to the injury report, and you’ve got a recipe for disaster.
The Warriors, meanwhile, smelled blood in the water. Even without their own superstar, Stephen Curry, who was out with a cold, they looked more than happy to play the role of schoolyard bully. Jimmy Butler, who somehow ended up on the Warriors in this strange timeline, decided to play the part of lead tormentor, dropping 21 points, grabbing nine boards and dishing seven assists. He was everywhere, doing everything, and generally making life miserable for anyone in a Pacers jersey.
A Tale of Two Halves: Hope and Despair
For a fleeting moment, it looked like the Pacers might actually make a game of it. The first half was… well, it was competitive. Andrew Nembhard was doing his best to keep the ship afloat, scoring 14 points and looking like the only guy who remembered how to put the ball in the hoop. At halftime, the Pacers were hanging around, only down by a few. There was a glimmer of hope. Maybe, just maybe, this ragtag group could pull off a miracle.
Then the third quarter happened.
Whatever Rick Carlisle said in the locker room at halftime, it must have been translated into a different language. The Pacers came out flatter than a pancake on a Sunday morning. The offense ground to a halt, shots clanked off the rim, and turnovers piled up faster than dirty laundry. The Warriors went on a 13-0 run that felt like it lasted an eternity, effectively ending the game before the fourth quarter even started. The final score of 114-83 doesn’t even do justice to how lopsided the second half felt. It was a complete and utter collapse.
Numbers Don’t Lie, But They Can Be Brutal
Let’s take a quick, painful look at the box score. The Pacers shot a frigid 3-for-22 from beyond the arc. Three. For. Twenty-two. You could have picked a fan out of the stands, and they probably would have hit more than that. It was the team’s lowest-scoring game of the season and the first time they failed to crack the 100-point mark. Ouch.
On the other side, the Warriors were having a party. Quinten Post chipped in with 14 points, and Al Horford came off the bench to add 12. They moved the ball, they hit their shots, and they played with a joy that was starkly absent from the Indiana sideline. They finally broke their six-game home losing streak to the Pacers, exorcising some demons in their shiny San Francisco arena.
Where Do We Go From Here?
For the Pacers, this loss drops them to a cringe-worthy 1-9 on the season. The vibes are, to put it mildly, not great. This West Coast road trip has been a meat grinder, and it doesn’t get any easier with a visit to Utah next.
If there’s any silver lining, it’s that you can’t play much worse than this. This has to be rock bottom, right? The only way is up… hopefully. Once Mathurin and McConnell are back in the lineup, this team will look completely different. But for now, it’s back to the drawing board for Carlisle and his crew. They need to find a spark, an identity, anything to stop the bleeding.
So, for the Pacers faithful, all you can do is shake your head, laugh to keep from crying, and hope for better days. Because after a night like this, they have to be on the horizon. They just have to be.
