The Indiana Pacers have had an inconsistent start to the season, and their struggles on the road are a major factor.
One of only three NBA teams with at least 10 losses away from home, the Pacers will attempt to halt a seven-game road losing streak when they face the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday night in New York.
The Pacers are 2-10 away from home after finishing 21-20 in road games last season and clinching a Game 7 victory on the road in the second round of the playoffs against the New York Knicks. Indiana hasn’t won an away game since their 134-127 victory over the Dallas Mavericks on November 4, with an average margin of defeat of 12.9 points during this losing streak.
Their latest setback was a 122-111 loss to the Toronto Raptors in their final NBA Cup game on Tuesday night. Indiana never led, trailed by 24, and was outscored 65-48 in the first half after committing 14 of their 21 turnovers in the first half and allowing an 18-2 run.
This rough first half in Toronto followed a game where the Pacers scored 68 points in the first half, led by 19, but ultimately lost by 15 points to the host Memphis Grizzlies.
Indiana’s Tyrese Haliburton scored 30 points on Tuesday after being held to eight on Sunday. It was only the second time this season he scored at least 20 points in a road game.
The Pacers hope to end their road woes against a short-handed opponent. The Nets are missing leading scorer Cam Thomas due to a strained left hamstring and may be without other key players as well.
Besides Thomas, starters Dorian Finney-Smith (sprained left ankle), Cameron Johnson (sprained left ankle), and Ben Simmons (sore left knee) are questionable.
These players were absent when the Nets suffered a 128-102 loss to the Chicago Bulls on Monday. It was Brooklyn’s most lopsided defeat of the season and their second loss by at least 20 points in their current three-game losing streak.
Brooklyn used a different starting lineup for the seventh straight game but shot only 40 percent from the field, following a season-low 38 percent shooting in a 100-92 loss to the Orlando Magic on Sunday.
The Nets trailed Chicago by as many as 29 points, allowed 62 points in the paint, and were outrebounded 54-41 after losing the rebounding battle 52-33 on Sunday.
The injuries have created opportunities for others to see significant minutes, including Dariq Whitehead. The 20-year-old forward, who had a total of three points in his four previous career NBA games, scored 18 points on Monday and hit six of Brooklyn’s 14 three-pointers.
Others seeing significant minutes due to the injuries are Tyrese Martin and Shake Milton. Martin scored 30 points on November 27 at Phoenix and finished with 15 on Monday. Milton added 14 points against Chicago, two games after scoring 22 on Friday in Brooklyn’s 123-100 loss to the Magic.
