Indiana Pacers Postgame Media Availability | December 3, 2025

Indiana Pacers Postgame Media Availability | December 3, 2025

Murray was phenomenal. I mean, he he he just uh he’s a very underrated player and you know, for a lot of reasons, I guess people don’t know just how just how special he is. Um him playing with Joic makes it even harder. I mean, a lot of the shots he hit tonight were off the dribble threes, you know, very very, you know, off of one-on-one moves, very difficult. So, tip your hat to that performance. Um, Joic didn’t have a monster night um, you know, with with the stats. I mean, he had a great night, but not, you know, what he’s been doing on a consistent basis. Um, and but he still had major impact on the game just by being out there. So, um, it’s special to watch those two guys. Um, again, not not enough people talk about how good Murray is. Uh the 22-3 run at the end of the second quarter uh was clearly our undoing. Um we went out of character during that period. Uh did some things we weren’t supposed to be doing. Um just made some mistakes. So we will correct those. Um second half was, you know, much better than the first half and we got to build on that. Um, but this is uh you know the these games are these games are tough and a lot of these difficult games are stacked on top of each other and we’re seeing a lot of great players so the challenges are high with Marie on the heels of the game Mitchell just had Monday. Is there more to this than just they’re both really really good players? Is there actually something that you guys can do better on that type of guard? I’m sure there is. Um Pascal when he was talking about the runs mentioned that to him it’s really frustrating because for the rest of the game you guys you know play up to the level of your opponent or closer to it. I mean, what what do you feel like can be done when those are happening to stop them sooner, whether that’s strategically something you can do or say? Because it seems like every game, well, you know, timeouts, I mean, I’d uh it’d be great if you could buy timeouts like vowels on the Wheel of Fortune because uh I think in three or four games this year, I’ve actually called additional timeouts. So unlike the wheel of fortune where you pay $250 out of your earnings, um they they cost a technical free throw and possession if the other team doesn’t already have possession. So, you know, strategically um you know, I’ve tried to take those when the other team has possession to uh lessen the lessen the penalty, but that’s an idiotic conversation. And but you know, we’ve just got to do better. I gotta coach better. Um, we got to play better and it’s a it’s a it’s a slim margin situation. That’s pretty obvious, but there’s always room for improvement. Obviously, Johnny being back is a factor here, but you went to Garrison and not Robinson for rotation minutes tonight. Was that something with Denver? Is that something we can expect to see rotationally going forward? I don’t think there’s any um way in hell there’s anything you should expect to automatically happen right now. I mean um you know with with your high standard of good questions I I question this one a little bit but uh no I’m I’m I’m kidding. But look, everything’s on the table. I think that’s the I think that’s the the the the accurate answer. And uh look, with Johnny being back, there’s the decision on which guy to play. Um you know, JRE has has played well and been very solid. Um you know, we got we got a lot of wings and it’s it’s a good problem to have. what um uh I was just ask about what he liked about Garrison’s play. Uh he was driving the basketball a little bit more. Um it seemed like there was he seemed like he was a little bit more physical. This was Look, he’s got a game. Yeah. You know, he’s got a game. He’s he’s an he’s an NBA shooter. Um he can drive the ball. Um he’s a good athlete and he knows who he is, you know. So, um, and he he affects the game with his ability to stretch the floor. You know, obviously this is not about stats, but Shephardd’s five of five tonight. What have you know, he’s obviously had to move around a little bit, had to play a lot of point. Um, you know, one of those guys that had has had a lot of tumult in his game. Are you starting to see him get a rhythm as he’s getting back to to his natural position, but TJ and Andrew getting back? Hey, he he’s he’s playing hard. He’s playing fast. He’s playing unselfish. you know, he he’s applying pressure full court. I mean, these are these are elements that we need. Um, you know, him his him shooting the ball five for five tonight. It’s no it’s no surprise. I mean, he could shoot the ball. Um, the key thing is that through all the challenges, you know, he’s just remained true to who he is and and stepped into the shots that are his shots and that’s that’s his job to do and that’s everybody’s job to do. I guess Drew, I got to ask out of the gate the 22 to3 run. What did you see just break down in that stretch and where did you guys manage to how did you manage to rally back pl past that? Um I’m not really sure. I didn’t really get to watch it. I mean I played through but it’s hard to kind of tell when you’re in that position. Um I can say what I it seemed like it seemed like they were scoring a lot easy buckets and we were getting tough shots. We weren’t really getting good ones. So tough stretch kind of put us behind the eightball for the rest of the game. What uh I mean this is obviously a pretty obvious one because we’re talking about a three-time MVP, but I mean just how much does Joker change everything they do? I mean, how much does he just make their the entire challenge of defending them different than anything else you see? Yeah. I mean, he’s hard to guard one-on-one, so you got to bring another defender, but when you bring another defender, he’s one of the best passers in the league, and he’s tall. You can see over people, so it’s a tough answer. There’s We’re still trying to figure out how to guard him. And just how much more effective does that make Murray, especially when he’s, you know, on a burner like he was on tonight? Most definitely. He opens up space for him. I mean, with the twoman action with them, it’s it’s tough to put too much attention on Jamal cuz then Jokic is open. So Jamal could hoop, too. So just didn’t figure it out tonight. I was going to say, I mean, obviously you know Jamal well, played with him in Canada. I guess you know when he’s on one like that and he’s getting bounces, are you just watching that like are you serious? I mean, like what when he gets one that’s going to like roll in off the front of the rim, are you just watching what he said and say, “Okay, this he’s just having that kind of night.” Yeah, he can shoot the ball. Um, good for him. Yeah. Going back to the run, something Pascal kind of said was what’s made them frustrating is that they’ve been in a lot of games and you guys play well the rest of it, which makes the the difference between that low point and the rest of the game so shocking. Have you noticed even in past games, there was just one against Cleveland, for example, the start of the game, like a a theme of what’s going on in them, what you guys can do to get out of them quicker. What do you How do you feel about them? Um, I think it’s tough. I mean, it’s tough. I think maybe just a lack of lack of uh concentration or or effort in any time in the game. teams can run it up quick in the league and um it’s just tough to come back from those types of leads. Sheep’s strung together a couple, you know, stronger games in a row. What have you seen from this recent stretch of him and how important has it been for that starting five you guys are part of? I love playing with Shep. You know, he moves really well, plays with a lot of energy. It’s good fun to be around. Um and when he’s hitting shots, he he could be a real help for this team. The shooting percentage just generally for you guys has been much better the last 5 10 games. Have you felt the offense be better and improve in, you know, the last couple weeks? And, you know, how do you guys turn that now into winning more? Yeah. Um, I think we just been a little more organized on that side of the floor. Um, and if we can put together some good games on both sides together, we can I’m sure I’m sure we can get some wins. Pascal, first off, Jamal, I mean, there’s different factors when you have to, you know, be so focused on Yokic, it’s harder to double someone like that. But right after Mitchell has the game he has, is there something more you can do on these type of guys or you tipping your cap because they’re so talented? How do you feel about Yeah, I mean I don’t know. I think maybe I just give him different looks, you know? I mean, I think we we pretty much a team, you know, we stick to what we do. Um we have a system and and and we go by it, you know. Um but yeah, I mean what especially I mean when the guys get going like that, it is hard regardless, you know. So um you know, maybe maybe we try to get the ball out of his hands. I I don’t know. But he he was hot. I know it’s been repetitive asking about these runs, but end of the second quarter, what did you see get sideways there? Same thing. How do you guys stop those from happening so much? Yeah, late on the rim. You’re not making shots. You know, the the game slow down and they just make shots after shots and um it’s Yeah, we got to avoid those runs cuz most of the time, you know, like three threequarters of the game is good, you know. So, it’s like it’s hard when we we let ourselves get into those holes like where we can’t get ourselves out of and um and and it’s tough to just keep fighting an uphill battle the whole the whole rest of the game. So, we can’t we can’t allow that. It’s tough. It’s hard. I think we got to watch it and see what we need to do better, but we can’t allow that. Chef’s string together a couple, you know, good statistical games for him in a row. How have you felt him improve as the season has gone on and seen from him these last couple games? Yeah, he’s like keep keep playing, keep keep improving. Like again, it’s hard when um you know, you’re three and D guy, you know, the shot’s not falling, you know, obviously it feels like the world is ending, right? So, um it’s just a matter of the ball going in like it’s basically what it is. So, but I just like he’s cool, calm, um just just continuing to play the game the right way. Um and I think if you do that, you know, usually like good things will happen. Obviously defense tonight was more so I would say the issue for you guys, but you guys have strung together a couple strong shooting games in a row. Have you felt the offense be better these last couple weeks? And how do you guys keep doing? Yeah. No, I think it’s a little bit better. We get a little bit more structure. Um I think we got to find a combination before play between playing fast and and being structured and um knowing what we’re doing out there. So um it’s finding the I know in the past we’ve been so random, you know. So, it’s like I think finding structure in in what we’re doing is probably important and and I think we’re doing better. We just got to keep improving. Um having defense be the things that we we got to hang our heads on. Like we got to we got to really be better at that. Um that’s two games now where I feel like our defense wasn’t there for the whole the whole game like it’s like it’s been before. So, we got to correct that. Um and I think that the offense is going to take care of itself. When Random has been such a defining quality of your offense, is getting structure harder? Is it how much more work does that take than it typically would? Well, I think it’s again if you’re used to doing things a certain way, you have to change it or like or like feels like it’s a little bit different than what it was, but again, our roster is is completely different to what we had before, too. So, um we got to adjust and and I think like structure is probably the way to adjust right now. And what do you want to see? You mentioned defense not being how it was before these two games. What do you want to see get back? Um I think a little bit more friction, a little bit more um you know, we got to get into this guys. maybe pressure a little bit more um some of the things that you know it’s hard to do but we have to get to that um make the defense uncomfortable like you know like you said I mean 19 for 25 that’s like freaking like I don’t know how many% is like my math is bad but um it’s too much right like be disruptive a little bit more um and uh we just got to yeah I think when we aggressive and weird the aggressors like most of the time like it helps our defense so can’t be passive sorry for you guys. Five-point game kind of late there in the second quarter. Where do you feel like it got away in the second halftime deficit? I think was 24. Uh actually don’t know. I got to go back and watch and just see exactly what went wrong went wrong. But um yeah, just outplay this in the second quarter and how creatively that we eventually could come back from it. But um a lot of good things I thought in the second half. Um just closing the gap and doing everything we can to call our way back into the game. But um yeah. Murray and Mitchell are obviously great players. Any common threads between what’s happened the last couple of games with those two guys. You said who? Murray tonight and Donovan Mitchell on Monday. Yeah, I mean they’re good players. Um just got to do everything you can to slow them down. They’re going to hit shots at the end of the day. So um yeah, just figuring out where those stops come from and um just being confident on that side of that. You had put together five or six pretty strong defensive games as a team. Where defensively do you go from here to try to find what you had last couple of weeks? Um, it’s kind of a tough question because every team we play has different schemes, all that type of stuff, but um I think we should take pride in what we’re doing right now on the defensive end and just keep it rolling, keep on building and keep stay together. So, final thought here, Chicago coming up. You guys got them just a few days ago. What did you maybe learn in that match up against that you can apply on Friday? They’re a fast team, young team. You got a lot of guys that can go. So, just be ready to run and play at their pace or play at our pace and just do everything we can to keep going. Yeah. I mean, I did want to ask you about, you know, uh five for five from the floor. I mean, just how many you how do you feel like you’re starting to just find your rhythm? You’ve been bounced around from positionally. I mean, do you still feel like you’re starting to find your game over the last couple weeks? Yeah. Um I mean, just staying in the gym, stepping into every shot with confidence. Um, every game I don’t know where my shots are going to come from. The es and flows every game are different for everybody right now just with everything going on. But yeah, just stay standing grounded and staying in the gym and doing all the work I can to just step in those shots confident. You say confidence. Do you feel more now that you’ve seen some go in? Was it always there? How would you describe that feeling now? I think it helps you see when go in, but um I know I can shoot the ball. just went matter to going in, staying in the gym, keep working and um yeah, Jamal’s obviously an incredible player. It’s hard to even double with Yic out there. Do you feel like there’s something you guys could have even done differently? Is it just a night that you know, you tip your cap? If I had to say anything, just try to stop from scoring that many points, but um yeah, schematically, I don’t know what we could have done differently there, but um tip my hat to him, made a couple unbelievable shots and just a good player. So,

Rick Carlisle, Andrew Nembhard, Pascal Siakam and Ben Sheppard spoke with the media following a 135-120 loss to the Nuggets on Wednesday night.

0:00 – Rick Carlisle
5:34 – Andrew Nembhard
5:46 – Pascal Siakam
11:25 – Ben Sheppard