Indiana Pacers Stay In Top 15 Of the Power Rankings

The Indiana Pacers lost to the Cleveland Cavaliers and Charlotte Hornets last week, but wins on the road against the Milwaukee Bucks and Washington Wizards allowed them to hold on in the power rankings.

It was another up and down week for the Indiana Pacers as far as the power rankings were concerned. While Monday’s win should help them out in next week’s ranking, a 2-2 week allowed the Pacers to not give up too much ground.

While the Cavaliers and Bucks games showed one of the better versions of the Pacers, the loss to the Hornets served as a reminder that this team struggles against spread attacks. The win gave the Hornets their third of the season over the Pacers, sweeping the season series.

Indiana bounced back with a victory over the Washington Wizards as Paul George continued to have the hot hand in a week where he averaged 27.8 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 5 assists a game. Paul George shot 47.4% from the field in those games and an even 50% from beyond the arc.

Monta Ellis had a good week as well with an average of 4 assists and 17.5 points a game while shooting 40.9% from the field.

This week the Pacers averaged a ranking of 12th with a drop of .333 spots.

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ESPN’s Marc Stein noted that it has been a strong string of games for Paul George, but that it doesn’t always translate to wins for the Pacers.

"The first back-to-back games in Paul George’s career in which he cracked the 35-point plateau earned the Pacers only a weekend split on the road in Charlotte and Washington. Despite his slip in player efficiency rating to 20.9, George remains one of just three players leaguewide to lead his team in points, rebounds and steals this season, joining New Orleans’ Anthony Davis and Atlanta’s Paul Millsap."

John Schuhmann of NBA.com highlighted the fact the Pacers starters are playing well, but the bench has been left wanting. Maybe the addition of Ty Lawson will help fix this.

"The Pacers’ starting lineup has played the most minutes in the league since the All-Star break and has been strong defensively. But the bench has struggled and Frank Vogel started small in Charlotte on Friday. Of course, nothing has worked for the Pacers against the Hornets, who they’ve lost to three times in the last month. They have nine games left against teams over .500, and six of them are in the next two weeks."

More from 8 Points, 9 Seconds

The Pacers passed their first test on Monday, but Matt Moore of CBS Sports correctly points out the current stretch of games doesn’t allow much room for error.

"Indiana saved itself in a big way with the win over the Wizards Saturday, but it faced six current-playoff teams in a row starting Monday, beginning with the Spurs. This is the Pacers’ last tough stretch, but it’s going to hurt in the meantime."

Gerald Bourguet of Hoops Habit likes the fully operational version of the Pacers but isn’t 100% sure of what is in Indiana’s future.

"When Paul George and/or Monta Ellis are firing on all cylinders, this Indiana Pacers team can be dangerous. Take Indy’s last two wins of the week, in which PG-13’s 38 points led the Pacers to a one-point victory over the Wizards, or Monta Ellis’ 26-point burst that pushed Indiana past the mighty Spurs Monday night.The question is, just how often can we expect that to happen in a seven-game playoff series? And perhaps just as important, what does new acquisition Ty Lawson bring to the table after missing most of his first game in a Pacers uniform due to a foot sprain?"

Next: Ty Lawson’s First Assist in a Pacers Uniform Was a Beauty

After beating the Spurs, Indiana has most of the week off before taking on the Dallas Mavericks on Saturday and the following day against the Atlanta Hawks.

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