Things Are Looking Up For the Indiana Pacers In the Power Rankings
By Ben Gibson
The Indiana Pacers have righted the ship in the past two weeks and it is reflected in a small climb in the power rankings roundup.
The Indiana Pacers may still be struggling in close games, but they are winning more of them over the past seven and looking more like a team with playoff aspirations.
Some of the Pacers same problems are still lingering, but they’ve gotten better about closing out games, or at least not losing them.
[table id=28 /]
The Pacers moved up an average of 1.7 spots this week for an average ranking of 11.2.
As much as the Pacers struggled through December and January, the Pacers have won four of their last six (now five of the last seven after Monday’s win) and might have things in the right direction according to Sports Illustrated’s Jeremy Woo.
More from 8 Points, 9 Seconds
- 2 Studs, 1 dud from gut-wrenching Indiana Pacers loss to Charlotte Hornets
- Handing out early-season grades for Pacers’ Bruce Brown, Obi Toppin
- 3 positives, 2 negatives in Pacers In-Season Tournament win vs. Cavaliers
- 2 positives, 3 negatives from first week of Indiana Pacers basketball
- Should Isaiah Jackson’s days with Indiana Pacers be numbered?
"The Pacers may finally be trending in the right direction again, winning four of six with two tight losses to the Cavs and Hawks. Despite the ups and downs, they’re still top 10 in net rating. Records of 3–7 in three-point games and 1–5 in overtime point to room for improvement not just from the players, but also the coaching staff."
NBA.com’s John Schuhmann highlights the fact the Indiana Pacers are near perfect at home against Eastern Conference teams… but terrible on the road against them.
"The Pacers are 9-1 at home against fellow East playoff teams after Monday’s loss (in overtime) to Cleveland and Saturday’s win over Detroit. But they’re 2-8 against the same group on the road after Friday’s loss in Atlanta. Myles Turner swatted LeBron, C.J. Miles had a big game in Brooklyn and Paul George broke out of a mini-slump over the weekend, but the defense has been inconsistent of late."
ESPN’s Marc Stein points out Paul George’s shot has fallen off heavily since November and they keep on losing close games despite the Pacers’ strong defense.
"Of the 21 players averaging at least 20 PPG, none has a lower FG percentage than Paul George’s .412, even after he shot .475 from the field in November. And a 7-11 record in games decided by five points or less — more losses in those circumstances than any team but Minnesota (13) — continues to sting. The flip side: Indy is hanging in there as a top-five team in defensive efficiency."
Next: Report: Pacers Want to Trade George Hill for Jeff Teague
The Pacers took care of the Los Angles Lakers last night and face the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday as the NBA heads into All-Star Weekend.