No mountain miracle for Pacers in loss to Nuggets

The Pacers lost to the host Denver Nuggets 109-96 Saturday night. The Pacers are now 34-9 while the Nuggets are 21-21.
The Big Plays
The were a few key moments in this game. The Pacers, while not playing great in the first quarter, were still hanging around until Nuggets went on a 16-0 run against the Pacers reserves early in the second quarter. So in terms of being within striking distance of the lead, that was pretty much it for this game as tiny guard Nate Robinson had 13 points in the quarter. After being down 19 at halftime, the Pacers scored the first 11 points of the second half. On three occasions they had the ball and a chance to cut Denver's lead to four points but it never happened. Most notably, one of those times was midway through the fourth quarter when C.J. Watson stole the ball and was free for what seemed like a breakaway, only to miss the shot under pressure. The telling story though, was that no other Pacer player was there to cleanup the rebound for an easy bucket, so instead the Nuggets got the rebound and that was that.
The Ups

Lance Stephenson turned in another all-star type
performance in Saturday's loss to Denver.

1) For the second straight night, Lance Stephenson was one of the standouts for the Pacers. He finished with 23 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists. It's one of few times the Pacers have lost this season when he has four or more assists, with that mark now being 27-4. But besides putting up some of his usual numbers, Stephenson also entertained in this game, with several moves around the basket. One of the favorites was when he took a pass and almost lost the ball on his shoulder next to his ear, but somehow controlled it enough to get it on the glass for two points. This game was just another all-star statement for Stephenson.
2) Even though it was a loss, it was good to see the Pacers come out and make a game of this in the second half. A lesser team would have succumbed to the thought that it was the second night of a back to back for the road team here, and the Nuggets were coming off two days rest, so let's just pack this one in and try and get the next one. But the Pacers did really try to get this one, too. It was just that problematic first half they had was too much overcome, even though they certainly did try, try, again.

The Downs
1) The Pacers seemed to rediscover their defensive identity in the second half Friday night at Sacramento, but it didn't make the trip to Denver. The Nuggets, much like the Suns and Kings earlier this week, came out firing and ready to play. The Nuggets really hit their stride in the second quarter when they shot 60 percent from the field and outscored the Pacers by 15. It's understandable that a team will have offensive lulls from time to time during the season, but if the Pacers want to secure homecourt for at least the Eastern Conference playoffs they can't have these extended defensive lulls they've experienced in each of their last three games.
2) The Pacers bench, while not the best in the league, has generally been a plus for the team this year. But that was not the case Saturday night. The bench was on the floor with Stephenson when the Nuggets went on their big run early in the second quarter. The Pacers bench for the night was outscored 33-22 for the game. But in that game-turning first half the bench hit just 3 of 12 shots for nine points. It just seems to be an unfortunate timing thing of power forward Luis Scola's shot being a little off lately, Watson not having some of the success he had earlier this year and Danny Granger still finding his way and confidence on the offensive end after coming back from injury.
Afterthoughts
This was a tall order simply because the Pacers were on the second night of a back to back and the Nuggets had the previous two nights off. There's also the thin-air factor in Denver, which apparently can make opponents tired. The Pacers did bring a bit of this on themselves, too, by playing overtime Firday night against undermanned Sacramento. So, the key here, is not to go too crazy over this loss. Yes, it's a little upsetting the Pacers have given up an average of just over 110 points in the last three games, so the defense has got to be better, especially out front when it comes to at least slowing down guys like Robinson, Isiah Thomas and Goran Dragic, who each too many times ran around and did whatever they wanted in each of the last three games. This loss here is certainly not the end of the world, but I'd be a little less worried if it was an offensive breakdown rather than a defensive one.
Next Up
The Pacers finish their road trip with a 10:30 p.m. game at the Los Angeles Lakers Tuesday. It's been a difficult season for the Lakers who are 16-28 going into Sunday's 3:30 p.m. game at New York against the Knicks on ABC (yes, we get the whole big market TV thing here). Kobe Bryant has played only six games for L.A. due to a fracture in his knee and isn't scheduled to return until sometime in mid-February. Also, there have been trade rumors surrounding forward Pau Gasol, so that uncertainty has not helped either. The Lakers have been led by shooting guard (and he takes that role literally at 1.4 assists per game) Nick Young at 17.1 points per game. Gasol averages 16.7 points and 10 rebounds and reserve guard Jodie Meeks average 10.2 points. One of the bright spots for the Lakers has been the play of point guard Kendall Marshall, who they signed from the D-League and is averaging 10.4 point and 9.6 assists a game. They also get 10 points a game from Xavier Henry.