INDIANAPOLIS— With the season ending just around the corner, the Pacers have had one of their worst seasons in franchise history. They have battled injury after injury with their star player, Tyrese Haliburton, tearing his achilles tendon in the 2025 NBA Finals, T.J. McConnell is out with a bilateral hamstring along with injuries to Pascal Siakam, Aaron Nesmith, Johnny Furphy and Andrew Nembhard.
Despite this, however, the Pacers showed glimpses of the growth within the team and coaches continue to express hope for the team.
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“We are a well-oiled machine,” said Pacers assistant head coach Lloyd Pierce, filling in for head coach Rick Carlisle, who was attending a family event.
This mindset from coaches set the tone going into Friday’s game against Philadelphia. The Pacers’ vets and rookies have been filling in, working with new lineups every week and adapting.
Philadelphia came out dominating the paint and rarely shooting 3s. It proved to be a physical team, especially in the first quarter.
“Their activity bothered us early,” Pierce said.
Sixers all-star guard Tyrese Maxey was a force to be reckoned with as he had 32 points, leading the team in scoring. Right behind him was Paul George, scoring 21 points.
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Indiana Pacers face Philadelphia 76ers in NBA game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse
Indiana Pacers center Jay Huff (32), guard Ethan Thompson (55) and guard Quenton Jackson (29) defend Philadelphia 76ers guard Quentin Grimes (5) as he shoots during a game Friday, April 10, 2026, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
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Indiana Pacers face Philadelphia 76ers in NBA game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse
Indiana Pacers center Jay Huff (32), guard Ethan Thompson (55) and guard Quenton Jackson (29) defend Philadelphia 76ers guard Quentin Grimes (5) as he shoots during a game Friday, April 10, 2026, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
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Indiana Pacers face Philadelphia 76ers in NBA game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse
Philadelphia 76ers guard VJ Edgecombe (77) defends Indiana Pacers forward Jarace Walker (5) as he shoots during a game Friday, April 10, 2026, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
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Indiana Pacers face Philadelphia 76ers in NBA game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse
Indiana Pacers forward Jalen Slawson (18) shoots over Philadelphia 76ers center Andre Drummond (1) during a game Friday, April 10, 2026, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
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Indiana Pacers face Philadelphia 76ers in NBA game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse
Philadelphia 76ers forward Justin Edwards (11) defends Indiana Pacers guard Taelon Peter (4) as he shoots during a game Friday, April 10, 2026, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
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Indiana Pacers face Philadelphia 76ers in NBA game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse
Indiana Pacers guard Kobe Brown (24) shoots the ball against the Philadelphia 76ers during a game Friday, April 10, 2026, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
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Indiana Pacers face Philadelphia 76ers in NBA game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse
Indiana Pacers guard Quenton Jackson (29) gets a high five from guard T.J. McConnell (9) during a game against the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday, April 10, 2026, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
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Indiana Pacers face Philadelphia 76ers in NBA game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse
Indiana Pacers center Micah Potter (11) shoots over Philadelphia 76ers forward Paul George (8) during a game Friday, April 10, 2026, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
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Indiana Pacers face Philadelphia 76ers in NBA game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse
Indiana Pacers guard T.J. McConnell (9) and guard Tyrese Haliburton (0) speak on the bench during a game against the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday, April 10, 2026, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
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Indiana Pacers face Philadelphia 76ers in NBA game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse
Indiana Pacers assistant coach Lloyd Pierce calls for a replay during a game against the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday, April 10, 2026, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
Although this game mirrored many of the issues the Pacers have faced throughout their season, the team has high hopes and is continuing to work through these struggles, looking to get a good draft pick and welcome back many of the injured players.
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“Next year we come back and make a stand,” Pacers guard Quenton Jackson said.
The Pacers have made it clear that their setbacks will not stand in the way of future performance.
“I think we have tried to highlight that our standard is still our standard,” Pierce said “You guys saw that last year, you saw that the year before that. Injuries are a part of sports and we got hit with (them) just like other teams do. There is no excuse on our part, our standards will still be the same. We are going to have a very diligent and very efficient off season with our guys and trying to make sure we touch our guys as often as we can.”
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: How Pacers expect to benefit from lottery-bound season: ‘Our standard is still our standard’