The Indiana Pacers are feeling the absence of center Myles Turner in the low post as opponents have been constantly getting to the rim in the past three games.
Turner has been ruled out again (sore right shoulder) for Friday's visit to the New York Knicks. The Pacers are hoping to solve some recent defensive issues despite his absence at center in the finale of their season-high five-game road trip.
Turner was already dealing with a broken nose and wearing a facemask after getting hit by Atlanta's John Collins on Dec. 31. He played 26 minutes last Friday when the Pacers opened the trip with a 119-116 overtime win at Chicago on Victor Oladipo's game-winning 3-pointer.
In the past three games without Turner's rim protection, Indiana allowed an average of 123.7 points as opponents shot 54.2 percent (131 of 276), including 62.7 percent (64 of 102) on shots as close as 5 feet from the rim. The Pacers gave up 136 points in the paint in this stretch.
"It just looked like we were gassed tonight," Indiana coach Nate McMillan said after a 135-108 loss at Boston on Wednesday. "We didn't win a quarter. We knew they would come out fast and they did. We weren't able to establish anything defensively against the group.
"We know we are better than that. Of course, we're missing the anchor of our defense, but we've just got to continue to work." >> Read more
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