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An Indiana Pacers team that was lights out as a dominating team through All-Star break has been lingering as a team that squeaks out wins now. Their four game losing streak a few weeks ago raised some eyebrows. Are the Pacers going to get it back in high gear or is what we are seeing more of what to expect as the season finishes out and playoffs begin?

During this stretch Pacers bettors certainly have not been happy. Their wins have been by close margins making their typical high line spreads susceptible nightly. None were as poor as two disappointing outings in the last week against the Philadelphia 76ers. In both of those games just like everyone else against Philadelphia, the Pacers were favored by a margin in the mid-teens at Philadelphia and at home were near 20 point favorites. Neither of the games did they find a fluid flow on either end of the floor.

What seems to be the main differences in this Pacers team?

With five key starters teams often hit a wall and it has happened with Indiana. Defensively they’re not playing nearly as well as they have as a team. The high amount of blocks aren’t there for Roy Hibbert, David West’s sound defense has gone MIA, and even Paul George has lost a bit of luster on the defensive end.

Off the bench the Pacers are adapting to life without Danny Granger while dictating Andrew Bynum’s minutes. The lift the Pacers used to be able to rely on from bench players such as Luis Scola has also hit a snag.

Overall sports bettors still have to be satisfied on the season with the Pacers. They had an epic run through the All-Star break in which they covered spreads at a high rate. It seems that the Western Conference teams figured them out a bit with their run and gun approach. That style of play seems to wear the Pacers out defensively. Phoenix twice, Golden State, Houston, Dallas twice, and Denver have all defeated the Pacers over the course of the last month.

Adjusting as a team needs to be a goal of the Pacers. They will never be an outstanding offensive team but they must get back to the same high level defensively. Allowing teams like Philadelphia to hang around for four quarters multiple times just can’t happen. That needs to be a wakeup call of motivation for this team to get things back in gear.

It’s as if the Pacers have settled with the mind frame that they’re an elite team and they can step on the floor and win with that mentality. From a sports betting perspective you have to sit things out and watch stretches of games to see if the Pacers are changing their ways. If anything with their defense suffering totals on the over may be the way to go.