2. They had no answer for LaMarcus Aldridge

It didn’t matter what the Indiana Pacers tried to do to slow down LaMarcus Aldridge. He ended the night with an impressive 33 points and 14 rebounds for the San Antonio Spurs.

With the Spurs starting Aldridge at the center spot, Domantas Sabonis matched up with him for most of the opening half. Whether he drove to the basket out of the post, put up a jumper out of the pick-and-pop, or shot a jumper from the post, Sabonis couldn’t slow him down.

Indiana decided to guard Aldridge with Thaddeus Young with less than half of the second quarter left to go. The results were not great and Sabonis was a liability in help defense.

Sabonis went back to defending Aldrige for the final portion of the third quarter and for the rest of the game. The results were more of the same compared to the first half.

With the Spurs using small-ball power forwards, the Pacers’ help defensive capabilities were neutralized. Not having Myles Turner is a significant cause for declined defensive production, especially against spread teams with a crafty playmaking center.

Throughout the night, Aldridge utilized his quickness to drive to the basket and finish and capitalized on Sabonis’ lack of length when attempting jump shots. He took advantage of his larger frame against Young too.