More Questions Than Answers After 1-3 Trip

The Indiana Pacers had a four-game Western trip that was supposed to be an easier part of their schedule. They return to Indiana with one win and a lot of questions to answer.

The Indiana Pacers learned the hard way that winning on the road in the NBA is more difficult than simply showing up. After completing a four-game swing against three of the weaker sisters of the Western Conference–the Denver Nuggets, Phoenix Suns and Sacramento Kings–along with the mighty Golden State Warriors with a 1-3 mark, there are more questions than answers in Indy.

It started with the Denver Nuggets back Jan. 17 and it was a very frustrating one–losing to the Nuggets, who had a record of 15-25 coming into the game, by just three points. Despite losing a close game in the dying seconds, there are some positives to take from the first game of the trip.

Rookies On the Rise

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Two of the most surprising performances from this game, and the road trip overall, were from rookies. Myles Turner had 25 points and pulled down seven rebounds in the loss to the Nuggets. Joe Young also had a stand out game, scoring 15 points and dishing out seven assists. As well as the rookies played in this game, it didn’t stop there.

Turner would go on to average 20.5 points and 6.3 rebounds per game on this road trip. He was one of the bright spots on the four-game trip. Young also had a great stretch, averaging 11 points and 5.5 assists per game over the four-game span.

Frank Vogel said this about Turner:

If he keeps this level of play up, he will have a great case of becoming the starting center. Here is Turner’s best game of the road trip–31 points and eight rebounds against the Golden State Warriors.

Poor Defense to Blame

Defensive consistency has been a problem the Pacers have struggled with all season long; this road trip was the same old story. They allowed 113.3 points per game in the four games. In the one win against the Phoenix Suns, they only gave up 94 points. This shouldn’t come as a surprise that when they kept the opponent to less than 100 points, they got the win.

So far this season the Pacers have kept the opponent to less than 100 points 27 times. Their record in these 27 games is an outstanding 24-3. Moving forward in the season, this has to be the Pacers’ top priority. Getting their defense back to the form they had earlier in the season is key. Vogel also thinks defense is key moving forward.

Paul George Played Like An All-Star

There were many things the Pacers failed to do on this road trip, defense being the main thing, but Paul George didn’t disappoint. He averaged 21 points and four rebounds per game over the stretch. Even though these numbers are a little bit below his season average of 23.7 points and 7.2 rebounds per game, he was still playing like a team leader should.

If there was ever a moment that George had a little bit of a let down, it came against the Golden State Warriors. He only had 12 points and two rebounds and that was obviously not enough to even make that game close. George is coming off a 34-point game against the Sacramento Kings so look for him to stay hot as the Pacers’ start a four-game home stand.

Takeaways From Road Trip

Going 1-3 on a road trip that was supposed to be one of the easier trips of the season is disappointing to say the least, but there can still be positives to take away.

Rookies Turner and Young are developing at a much faster rate than expected and getting contributions from them this early in their career is a bonus.

George is still playing at the All-Star level he has been playing at all season long. He will have to keep this level of play up if the Pacers are playoff hopefuls.

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Although this road trip didn’t go as expected, they have a four-game home stand to get them back on track.