Pacers coach Nate McMillan talks with the media about the team's struggles during its three-game losing streak. Clifton Brown/IndyStar
INDIANAPOLIS – Since Christmas, the Indiana Pacers have had nothing to celebrate.
After an entertaining and energetic first two months of the season, have the Pacers (19-17) already peaked? This is a relevant time to ask, with the Pacers riding a three-game losing streak, and Victor Oladipo (knee) expected to miss his third straight game Sunday when the Pacers host the Minnesota Timberwolves (5 p.m.).
The Pacers raised expectations and silenced many doubters during their first 33 games, taking a 19-14 record into Christmas. But should they lose Sunday, the Pacers will begin 2018 just one game over .500.
Pacers players talk with the media about what they need to do to stop their three-game skid. Clifton Brown/IndyStar
An 82-game season demands that a team answer challenges for six months, not just two. The Pacers overcame a four-game losing streak in early November, and they insist that their current skid is just a temporary setback. But over the past week, the Pacers have looked vulnerable, particularly on the defensive end, unable to get stops at key moments. Unless they improve defensively, don’t expect the Pacers to return to winning consistently.
“As a team, we have to figure it out defensively,” said Pacers forward Thaddeus Young. “It has to be better. Right now, we’re just not the same team we (were) about 10 games ago. Hopefully we can get back to that, when we were winning games and having fun, just playing. Hopefully it comes within these next few games.”
Instead of being disrespected by opponents, the Pacers are now being targeted due to their early success. The Chicago Bulls had already lost twice to the Pacers before finally beating them, 119-107, Friday night at the United Center. The Bulls wanted revenge after losing, 98-96, to the Pacers at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on Dec. 6. The Bulls led that game by as many 17 points, but blew the lead in the fourth quarter. Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg called that a turning point for the Bulls, who have won nine of their last 11.
Minnesota is another hot team that will also want revenge Sunday against the Pacers. On Oct. 24 in Minneapolis, the Pacers set a franchise record by shooting 64 percent from the field, and embarrassed the Timberwolves on their home floor, 130-107.
The Pacers started the season with a chip on their shoulder, hearing so many people dismiss their chances to make the playoffs after trading Paul George. Now coach Nate McMillan wants to see the same tenacity from his team that he saw during the first seven weeks.
“Our defense was pretty good in November and early December,” McMillan said. “Either it was pretty good, or teams were just missing, because we were playing at the tempo we wanted to play at. We haven’t been able to stop teams here lately. We have to challenge our guys to get better, to try to work a little harder. This is a part of seeing the growth of this team. We did some good things in the month of November and December, and now teams are playing better basketball. We’ll see who we are, and what we have.”
The Indiana Pacers suffered their third-straight loss, falling to the Bulls in Chicago. Clifton Brown / IndyStar
While Oladipo’s absence may not be long-term, the Pacers want the swelling and soreness to subside before he returns to action. He has already undergone an MRI, and he will re-evaluated before the Pacers visit the Milwaukee Bucks on Jan. 3.
The Pacers insist they can win without Oladipo, but they are 0-3 this season without their star player in the lineup. Starting center Myles Turner said the Pacers cannot get complacent, resting on their laurels from earlier in the season.
“When you get that respect, you have to keep building on that respect, making opponents respect you more,” said Turner. “You can’t get comfortable with the respect that you’ve gained.
“Our starts need to be better. We’ve been saying that for the past three weeks now. It can’t be we get punched in the mouth, and then we respond.”
The Pacers said all the right things after Saturday’s practice, but they have not won since beating the Atlanta Hawks on Dec. 21. The Pacers insist their best basketball is yet to come. But the challenge is for them to prove it.
“Every team has rough stretches during the course of a season,” said Young. “We’ll get it together.
Three things you should know about Minnesota Timberwolves (22-14) vs. Indiana Pacers (19-17), 5 p.m. Sunday at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.
1. The Timberwolves blew a 20-point lead in their last game, losing to the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday. That figures to give Minnesota even more motivation to bounce back against the Pacers.
2. Former Pacers point guard and Indianapolis native Jeff Teague (MCL sprain) won’t play Sunday, and is expected to miss another 2-4 weeks.
3. Minnesota center Karl-Anthony Towns is averaging 20.4 points and 11.5 rebounds, and could cause matchup problems for the Pacers’ frontcourt.
Follow IndyStar sports writer Clifton Brown on Twitter @CliftonGBrown.
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