Rick Carlisle calls out last-place Pacers for 'too much petty nonsense'

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INDIANAPOLIS -- Though the Pacers made just 13 of 37 field goals in a 44-point second half en route to a 112-110 loss to the Magic in Wednesday's New Year's Eve matinee, coach Rick Carlisle said he saw a level of connectedness and fight he hasn't seen nearly enough of as the team has spiraled to the bottom of the NBA standings with a 10-game losing streak.

Carlisle has noted in the past that there have been games when the Pacers didn't play with enough force or fire, but on Wednesday, for the first time, he mentioned seeing too many occasions when players have been motivated by personal agendas. The Magic also scored just 44 points in the second half -- though forward Paolo Banchero's driving bank shot with 7.5 seconds to go provided the game-winning score -- and Carlisle noted that the improved defense from the 68-point first half was a sign of the Pacers getting over themselves.

"The real question should be, 'Why did we give up 68 points in the first half and only 44 in the second half?'" Carlisle said. "That's because in the second half we played like a together team that was supporting each other and not like strangers, OK? That's how this has gotta be. We're having too much petty nonsense going on during games that needs to go away."

Carlisle was asked if he could share any specifics about what he considered petty nonsense and said, "No, I can't." He did eventually elaborate by saying what he saw in the second half what he didn't in the first, though he didn't name any names.

"We were tied together," Carlisle said. "We were concerned with the play that was happening now and the play that was going to be immediately happening next and not whether we were touching the ball or getting a shot or not getting a shot. That kind of stuff. It's not what this organization is about. It's not what this team is about. It's not what this franchise is about. It's not what this ownership has stood for for more than four decades. Everything from little distractions with officials to everything else. It's just, that stuff has gotta go away. It's pretty clear our margins for error are really non-existent. We get distracted by unnecessary things that are unrelated to the urgency required in NBA basketball to move from event to event."

Carlisle was asked how long he believes this has been an issue.

"It was an issue in the first half and it's been an issue in enough other games this year that it's a concern," Carlisle said. "Look, in the second half, we showed what we're capable of and how we're capable of playing together, fighting for a crowd that is paying good money to watch us play and watch us try to win."

Carlisle connected the "nonsense" to the Pacers tendency to allow big runs and swings in games. They had a significant second quarter lead but watched it slip away when they gave up a 13-0 run. That Magic spurt wasn't as devastating as some others the Pacers have allowed this year as too many of those have created holes far too big for them to dig themselves out of.

"In the first half, there were too many wild ups and downs," Carlisle said. "We go on a run and get up six or eight and then they go on a 10-0 run. That kind of stuff is avoidable. It's avoidable with concentration and connectedness. OK, and we've gotta be more connected."

Guard Andrew Nembhard and forward Aaron Nesmith -- two players who earned their stripes during the Pacers NBA Finals run in 2025 and Eastern Conference Finals run in 2024 -- were asked if they agreed with Carlisle's sentiments and if they too were seeing petty nonsense causing problems during games. Nembhard and Nesmith said they saw where Carlisle was coming from but also said that they felt like most of any complaining they were hearing during games -- whether teammates were looking for more shots, better help defense or better calls from officials -- were mostly motivated by a desire to win.

"There may have been a little petty nonsense, but I think it all comes from a good place," Nesmith said. "I think our competitive spirit in this game was pretty high. Sometimes that bleeds over into disagreeing on calls or a guy's help. I think we can take some positives from that. Guys are tired of losing and I think we want to hold each other accountable to a higher standard again. I think we can do nothing but grow from that."

Nembhard ultimately said he believes most of the Pacers' interactions with each other have been positive.

"We're losing, so I think guys are naturally going to get competitive," Nembhard said. "We want to win the game. We're going to pick at each other a little bit. At the end of the day, it's coming from a place of trying to win the game. I think it showed in the second half. We kind of came together and got more connected. I think that's what we have to focus on going forward."

However their views might have been different from Carlisle's overall, Nembhard and Nesmith both considered the second-half level of connectivity as something to strive for even though it was more productive on one end of the floor than the other. It still ended in defeat, but it was the first time the Pacers had a chance to win the game in the final minutes since their 114-113 loss to the Knicks on Dec. 18.

"I thought we fought well," Nesmith said. "I think in the past in previous games when teams go on a run, we laid down and let go of the rope a little bit. Today, we held on to the rope. We scratched and clawed and fought. We did make some tough shots and some timely shots. Those are the things we can build on going into 2026."

Dustin Dopirak covers the Pacers all season. Get more coverage on IndyStarTV and with the Pacers Insider newsletter.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Rick Carlisle says last-place Pacers have had 'too much petty nonsense'

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