The Indiana Pacers’ downward spiral continues, as they suffered a 111-94 loss at the hands of the Milwaukee Bucks at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Ind., on Tuesday.
It was the reigning Eastern Conference champions’ sixth loss in a row and 24th overall in the 2025-26 NBA season. At this point, it’s not a stretch to say that there will be a new Eastern Conference champ.
Things are different now for Indiana compared to the 2024–25 season, when the Pacers came just one win shy of capturing the franchise’s first-ever NBA title. With Tyrese Haliburton running the show on the court, the Pacers had one of the league’s best offenses and the confidence to match it.
This time around, the Pacers are just a shell of their former form.
Even then, Pacers star forward Pascal Siakam thinks that losing and the resignation that comes with it shouldn’t be the norm for the team.
“When we decide that losing is not ok, we’re gonna go somewhere,” Siakam told reporters following the loss to the Bucks, via Alex Golden of “Setting The Pace” podcast. “But if we go out there every single day and it just feels like, okay, we lost another game, it does not matter, we’re just gonna keep sinking.
I don’t think we’re gonna get out of it, until when you lose and you go home and it really hurts you. Like if it doesn’t matter, we’re just gonna keep coming in here and do the same thing and lose every night and it’s gonna be it is what it is.”
Hopefully for the Pacers, Siakam’s words didn’t fall on deaf ears. While they are not expected to contend for the Eastern Conference title, let alone for an NBA championship, they have to play with some pride and start showing better play quality on the court for their fans.
The Pacers, currently third-worst in the league with a -8.3 net rating, will look to turn things around starting with Friday’s game against the Boston Celtics at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
