Tag: Indiana Pacers

Adam Silver Says Tanking Is Worse This Season; NBA Fines Jazz and Pacers

Adam Silver
February 2026

Silver said tanking behaviour is worse than recent memory, with the league fining Utah and Indiana for violating integrity and player participation standards, and warning further penalties could include draft-pick forfeiture. Utah was fined $500,000 for “conduct detrimental” linked to late-game benchings, while Indiana was fined $100,000 after an independent physician found held-out starters could have played under policy standards. Silver said the league will reconsider lottery and draft incentives because the system rewards losing.

Rick Carlisle Reaches 1,000 NBA Wins as Pacers End Long Losing Run

Rick Carlisle
January 2026

Carlisle became the 11th NBA coach to reach 1,000 wins after Indiana beat Charlotte 114-112, ending a brutal month that included a 13-game losing streak. Indiana closed the final minute with key plays including a Siakam go-ahead finish and a steal after. Carlisle credited players for grinding through injuries and setbacks, emphasising standards and adaptability across eras.

Jaylen Brown chases Larry Bird record with red-hot 30-point streak

Jaylen Brown
December 2025

Jaylen Brown has scored 30 points in eight straight games, a feat only matched once in Celtics history by Larry Bird’s nine-game run in 1985, while averaging 29.4 points this season and leading Boston to a 6-2 record during his current scoring explosion. Brown poured in 30 points on ultra-efficient shooting against Indiana, following a season-high 42 earlier in the streak. Despite modest three-point volume, he is hitting over 50 percent from the field and repeatedly carrying Boston’s attack, putting him on the verge of tying Bird’s iconic club mark.

Carlisle to step down as coaches’ boss, Bickerstaff to take over NBCA role

Rick Carlisle
December 2025

Rick Carlisle will end a 20-year run as president of the National Basketball Coaches Association at month’s end, with Detroit Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff elected as his successor, as Carlisle nears his 1,000th NBA coaching win and shifts focus fully back to team duties. Praising Bickerstaff as a trusted leader who has stabilised difficult situations in Memphis, Cleveland and Detroit, Carlisle called the new role “life-changing” and also used the moment to champion Bernie Bickerstaff’s Hall of Fame case, highlighting the Bickerstaff family’s long-standing impact on coaching and front-office culture.

Injured Haliburton joins “NBA on Prime” to give active player’s voice on coverage

Tyrese Haliburton
December 2025

Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton, rehabbing an Achilles tear from Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals, will join “NBA on Prime” as a player contributor, sharing behind the scenes content on his recovery and offering analysis across the season, starting with Tuesday’s NBA Nightcap broadcast. Haliburton says he wants to counter overly negative, narrative driven talk shows by joining Dirk Nowitzki, Dwyane Wade, Steve Nash, Udonis Haslem and host Taylor Rooks to highlight modern players positively, explain tactics more clearly for casual fans and add a current locker room perspective to Prime’s studio coverage.

Red hot Pistons tie franchise record with 13th straight win

Detroit Pistons
November 2025

The Detroit Pistons extended their winning streak to 13 games with a 122-117 victory over the Pacers, matching franchise records from the 1990 and 2004 title seasons and pushing their start to 15-2, a remarkable rise after just 14 wins in the entire 2023-24 campaign. Cade Cunningham led with 24 points, 11 rebounds and six assists, supported by Jalen Duren’s inside dominance and Caris LeVert’s scoring, while returning guard Jaden Ivey added punch under a minutes restriction. Detroit nearly blew an 18 point lead late but held on, setting up a record chasing NBA Cup clash in Boston.

Cavs Battle Regression And Injuries After Last Season’s 64-Win High

Cleveland Cavaliers
November 2025

Cleveland’s 10-6 start, compared with last season’s 15-1 surge toward a 64-win campaign, has exposed clear slippage as injuries to Darius Garland and Max Strus, weaker rebounding and a dip in free-throw efficiency drag the Cavaliers away from the dominant identity they built in 2024-25. Coach Kenny Atkinson has already used nine different starting lineups while Donovan Mitchell urges teammates to stop leaning on last year’s success, with Evan Mobley yet to show a new offensive gear and Friday’s home game against the 2-13 Pacers treated as an urgency test.

Pacers lose breakout scorer Aaron Nesmith for at least four weeks with knee issue

Aaron Nesmith will miss at least a month with a left knee injury after going down in the defeat to the Suns, a major blow for an Indiana team already ravaged by absences and sitting 1-11 despite strong early scoring numbers from the versatile forward. Rick Carlisle said scans brought very good news compared to initial fears, with Nesmith out around four weeks but moving without a brace. The Pacers already lost Tyrese Haliburton for the season and are managing injuries to Bennedict Mathurin, Andrew Nembhard and Obi Toppin while Nesmith posts career highs in points and rebounds.

Suns’ Dillon Brooks fined for lewd on-court gesture in Pacers blowout

Dillon Brooks (Phoenix Suns)
November 2025

Dillon Brooks (Phoenix Suns) has been fined 25,000 dollars by the league for making a lewd gesture late in the second quarter of Phoenix’s 133-98 win over the Indiana Pacers, adding another disciplinary note to the forward’s already controversial on-court reputation. The punishment, announced by NBA executive James Jones, underlines the league’s stance on player behaviour and continues Brooks’s pattern of drawing attention for antics as much as defence, reminding Phoenix that his edge occasionally brings unwanted scrutiny alongside his competitive intensity.

Nets’ Cam Thomas out 3–4 weeks with hamstring strain

Cam Thomas (Brooklyn Nets)
November 2025

Brooklyn’s leading scorer suffered a left hamstring strain versus Indiana and exits the rotation for up to a month. The guard, an impending UFA, previously dealt with recurring hamstring issues that limited him to 25 games last season. Coach Jordi Fernández flagged the need to replace scoring by committee and maintain identity. Thomas emphasized full recovery before return. Rookie Egor Denim stepped into the lineup; Brooklyn must stabilize shot creation and spacing while protecting against re-injury risk.

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