Game Recap
Missing two starters, the shorthanded Pacers were unable to dig themselves out from a 20-point third quarter lead built by the Spurs, as San Antonio held onto its advantage, winning 111-100 on Friday night at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.
Victor Oladipo (sore right knee) had been ruled out at shootaround earlier in the day and center Myles Turner (sore left ankle) was unable to go after testing his ankle out prior to the game.
That left the Pacers (11-8) without two of their key players as they matched up with a Spurs (9-9) team desperate for a win after dropping five of their last six.
"Myles is a great rim protector and Victor is, obviously, a good defender as well, and they're both key pieces of our offense, so that's a lot of talent we're missing," explained Cory Joseph. "We just have to be able to step up and play with a lot of energy."
Even down Oladipo and Turner, the Pacers still attempted to battle back into the game in the fourth, despite trailing by as much as 20.
With nine minutes left, a slam from TJ Leaf ignited the crowd at The Fieldhouse as the Pacers were able to cut the Spurs' lead to just 11 points.
But out of a San Antonio timeout, the Spurs came out swinging, opening up an 8-0 run that featured 3-pointers from Bryn Forbes and Rudy Gay, effectively putting the game on ice for the Spurs.
While the Spurs shot 10-of-21 from long range, the Pacers never found their stroke from deep on the night, making just 3-of-24 3-point shots.
"We had some pretty good looks, but we just weren't able to make them," Joseph said. "Aaron had some pretty good looks, Darren, Tyreke, Doug, pretty much everyone had some good looks. Just one of those nights."
With a new-look starting lineup due to the injuries, the Pacers struggled on offense early, making just one field goal over the first five minutes of play as they fell behind 13-3 to the visiting Spurs.
As the Pacers reserves entered the game, Indiana began to claw its way back into the game. Despite trailing 22-9 at one point, a seven-point quarter from Cory Joseph helped power Pacers back as the Blue & Gold trimmed the deficit to a 29-23 Spurs lead after one.
With the second quarter underway, the Pacers continued their charge, closing the gap to a five-point San Antonio lead when Domantas Sabonis converted on back-to-back jumpers. But the Spurs continued to make their jumpshots, as LaMarcus Aldridge's huge 18-point first half kept San Antonio in front.
During the final minute of the half, DeMar DeRozan connected on his fifth shot of the night, putting the Spurs up 54-45 at the break.
To start the second half, the Pacers' starting unit was sluggish once again, quickly falling victim to six unanswered points from the Spurs, which triggered a timeout from Head Coach Nate McMillan.
Out of the stoppage, the offensive barrage from the Spurs continued as a Forbes 3-pointer kept the momentum in San Antonio's favor, with the Spurs jumping ahead 68-49.
Late in the quarter, forward TJ Leaf lined up a three and knocked it down, helping the Pacers chop what was once a 20-point lead to a 82-69 Spurs advantage entering the fourth.
In the early moments of the final quarter, the Pacers began to make their run, getting back-to-back solid plays from forward Kyle O'Quinn. First, a 13-foot jumper that got the bounce and fell in. Then, a slick feed to Leaf off an offensive rebound, as Leaf pounded it home to slice the margin to 11 points and force a Spurs timeout with 8:36 remaining.
But it was after Indiana's run that the Spurs put the game away, breaking out on an 8-0 advantage to protect its lead.
Despite numerous chances to pull back into the game, the Pacers were unable to overcome the monster night from Aldridge, who finished with a game-high 33 points while pulling down 14 rebounds.
"He had a good night," said Coach McMillan. "We didn't do a good job of challenging his catches. They were pretty much able to run their offense, get the ball where they wanted to. When guys get the ball in their sweet spots, it's going to be tough to stop them."
Inside the Numbers
The Pacers' three 3-pointers were a season low.
Domantas Sabonis notched his seventh double-double, scoring 19 points and hauling in 16 rebounds.
Bojan Bogdanovic scored 21 points, his fourth consecutive game scoring 20 or more.
Despite only making 3-of-24 shots from three, the Pacers managed to shoot 46.5 percent from the field.
You Can Quote Me On That
"We've been a little bit inconsistent. Somedays we'll come out aggressive and things work out our way, and some days we look like a totally different team. It's not like we need to have the ability to start off games on the right foot defensively with intensity, because we've shown it. We did it all last year in the playoffs. Defense is what's going to take us to the next level." -Darren Collison
"Victor is a big part, he's all-defensive team. He a lot of times is guarding the best wing. He sets the tone for how we want to defend. Myles does the same thing. We didn't have a shot blocker out there tonight; but that's part of it. You have injuries, but guys have to step in and play. Regardless of what those guys do, we were without them tonight and we have to learn to play without them." -Nate McMillan on injuries
"We just have to have a little more energy. We're at our best when we're getting deflections, when we're running the open court, and our defense starts our offense most of the time. They just controlled the pace tonight and they were able to drop it inside, play the inside-out game, and I think that hurt us." -Cory Joseph
Stat of the Night
The Pacers only managed nine trips to the free throw line, where they made five. San Antonio went 17-of-24 from the stripe. Indiana's nine trips to the foul line was its second-lowest of the season.
Noteworthy
- Myles Turner missed his first game of the 2018-19 season.
- Indiana's 31 assists were its third-most this season.
- The Pacers are now 6-4 at Bankers Life Fieldhouse this season.
Up Next
The Pacers tip off a four-game Western Conference swing with a rematch against Donovan Mitchell and the Utah Jazz on Monday, Nov. 26 at 9 PM ET. Game Preview »
Tickets
Following their road trip, the Pacers return home to Bankers Life Fieldhouse to take on the Chicago Bulls on Tuesday, Dec. 4 at 7:00 PM ET. Find Tickets »
Special Offer - Pacers Score 90 Points
Papa John's PACERS90: The day after the Pacers score 90 or more points, you score 50 percent off all regular menu price online orders at papajohns.com with promo code PACERS90. (Valid in Central Indiana)