Indiana Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle called Friday’s 114-113 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers “pretty amazing” given how much happened in the final 0.4 seconds. “A lot of what our season has been about is guys stepping up into situations they’ve never been in before,” Carlisle said, highlighting the growth opportunities for his roster.
Carlisle pointed to Jay Huff’s missed free throws as a learning moment. “He will learn from that and, you know, we had some other mistakes down the stretch that were costly,” he explained. “These are things we must learn from. We left the strong side corner and gave up a three. We had a couple of fouls that were untimely. Let’s just say that.”
Despite the loss, Carlisle praised the Pacers’ competitiveness. “Our guys competed great in the game. I thought the Clippers competed great. We positioned ourselves to have a chance to win in the fourth,” he said. He described Kawhi Leonard’s game-winner as “a great shot and a weird series of events” that reflected the intensity on both sides.
Carlisle shared his advice to Huff after the game. “I told Jay, if I were you, after being in this league for 42 years, I’d give myself about an hour and say screw it and forget about it. Next time, the approach from a process standpoint will probably be a little bit different.” He emphasized the team’s current flexibility, noting, “We’re not in a playoff chase… we have the ability to absorb some of these things that we’re learning from.”
On missing forward Jarace Walker, Carlisle admitted it was “pretty significant” and said the team would monitor his status for Sunday’s game against Miami. He framed the season’s remaining games as playoff-like scenarios: “We’ve just played three playoff games really… all these teams are really competing.”
The coach also lauded Obi Toppin’s performance, who scored 20 points with 8 rebounds. “Obi was tremendous. He played multiple positions… His run in the first half gave us real separation,” Carlisle said. He noted Toppin’s rhythm is improving as he adjusts to increased minutes.
Carlisle reflected on facing former teammates Bennedict Mathurin and Andrew Nembhard. “Benn’s found a home there. He’s playing great… it was very heartwarming and I know Benn looked like he really appreciated it,” he said. He praised Aaron Nesmith for stepping into a leadership role, scoring 26 points: “This year he’s really stepped up to a different kind of leadership role than he’s ever been in.”
Carlisle concluded with a focus on preparation for Miami: “Between now and Sunday, all our guys need to get away from it… and get their rest and get ready for Miami. They’re another physical, smashmouth type team.”
