Three takeaways from Indiana Pacers low-scoring loss to San Antonio Spurs

The Indiana Pacers suffered their second-straight loss and third in their last four games on Sunday night. They fell to the lowly San Antonio Spurs — it was Indiana's sixth loss to a team with a winning percentage below 30% this season.

A lot went wrong for the Pacers in San Antonio. They shot poorly from deep, finishing 6/30 from long range. That is their fourth-worst percentage from deep in a game this season. That played a part in the team having just 20 assists, a season low. Their offense wasn't where it needed to be as they only put 105 points on the scoreboard.

The Pacers took care of the ball and hit the offensive glass, which kept them in the game. But they couldn't get enough stops, or make enough jumpers, to win. It cost them a winnable game at an important time in the season.

"We just weren't good enough," Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said during his postgame interview that aired on the Bally Sports Indiana broadcast of the game.

The loss put the blue and gold at 34-28. They have some tough opponents coming up on the schedule, so dropping another game against a team with a poor record was ill-timed. Their takeaways from a double-digits loss are mostly negative.

The Indiana Pacers offense was poor

As noted above, the Pacers had one of their worst offensive nights of the season on Sunday. Beyond the inaccurate shooting and underwhelming passing night, the most important number tells the story well: Indiana had just 105 points. It was their sixth-fewest in a game this season.

Three starters shot below 36% from the field, and six players did in total. The blue and gold had to work hard for all of their buckets, a rarity for a team that generally flows into their offense with ease.

"They came out with a sense of urgency... we didn't," Pacers assistant coach Lloyd Pierce said at halftime during an interview on the Bally Sports Indiana broadcast of the game. Indiana scored 16 first-quarter points.

Tyrese Haliburton, the star guard who had his worst offensive game as a member of the Pacers on Friday, was off again. He finished 4/16 from the field and missed all of his outside shots. His passing was better, and he made some plays while attacking the rim, but he was below his All-Star level in this game.

Indiana looked arrhythmic on Sunday. The Spurs took advantage of their substandard offensive night.

Victor Wembanyama changed the game

Wembanyama has been terrific in recent weeks, and that form continued on Sunday night. The French big man finished with 31 points, 12 rebounds, six assists, six blocks, and one steal. He did it all.

His presence alone makes it difficult for teams to score, or even attempt shots, near the rim. In the lane, his stride length and finishing abilities are nearly unguardable. Every time he entered the game, the on-court dynamics changed.

That's why the Spurs were +19 with the first overall draft pick on the court. He is a force on both ends, and the Pacers struggled to contain him. When he shoots 3/4 from deep, there's almost no way to stop him.

"He's a very good player," Pacers forward Obi Toppin, who defended Wembanyama earlier this season, said of the matchup in November.

Indiana was able to attack the rim and get stops when the 20-year old big man was on the bench. They won the minutes when Zach Collins was at center. But the Pacers got crushed with Wembanyama on the floor, and it played a big part in their loss.

T.J. McConnell was excellent

Perhaps the lone bright spot for the Pacers on Sunday was the play of T.J. McConnell. The veteran guard gave his team a chance to win.

McConnell finished with 26 points, the second-best figure of his career. He was 13/15 from the field and was automatic from the mid range. Indiana's offense looked threatening when McConnell was attacking the rim.

"The hardest playing team is going to win this game," Pierce said at halftime. McConnell was playing hard on both ends. On top of his terrific scoring game, he added five assists and three steals.

The Pacers only lost McConnell's minutes by one point on Sunday. That should be good enough for the starters to win a game, but it wasn't. Had the Pacers achieved victory last night, McConnell's play would have been the biggest reason why.

The Pacers next play tomorrow when they battle the Mavericks in Dallas.