Post-Game Grades: Pacers Fight Mightily, Fall at Fortress Philips
By Ben Gibson
The Indiana Pacers proved to be scrappy and tenacious in Atlanta, but the Hawks proved they had more depth and — more importantly — more points when the final buzzer sounded. Indiana’s efforts were hindered by Rodney Stuckey aggravating his ankle injury, and he didn’t return after the second quarter.
Indiana threw everything they could at the Hawks, but the lack of depth caused by injuries showed itself as the Pacers saw the game slip away after one final, defiant run.
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The Pacers are playing much better despite the limited roster options and that gives hope for when David West and company returns. It is hard to be too negative about this losing performance considering there were plenty of positives: Chris Copeland sparked the offense with his 3-point shooting and aggressiveness, and Donald Sloan got the ball moving offensively while looking better than the third guy on the depth chart at point guard. The Pacers didn’t lead at any point in the game, but they closed the gap to within 3 in the final minutes.
The Hawks held the Pacers off but considering the troubles Indiana has had in the past in Atlanta, it made you think if there weren’t so many injuries then maybe the Pacers would have found a way to win.
 | Luis Scola, PF 26 MIN | 5-9 FG | 2-3 FT | 10 REB | 0 AST | 1 STL | 0 BLK | 3 TO | 12 PTS | -11 |
Indiana’s defense is still pretty bad when Scola’s on the court, but he made up for it with a double-double in the form of 12 points and 10 rebounds.
Solomon Hill, SF 34 MIN | 3-8 FG | 2-2 FT | 5 REB | 6 AST | 1 STL | 0 BLK | 2 TO | 10 PTS | -2The second-year player scored double-digits for the first time in his career while also adding a respectable 5 rebounds and 6 assists.
Roy Hibbert, C 35 MIN | 4-8 FG | 6-6 FT | 12 REB | 2 AST | 0 STL | 3 BLK | 1 TO | 14 PTS | -3A double-double performance for Hibbert and the three blocks. He had the best defensive rating out of any of the starters. A much better outing than his recent ones in Atlanta.
Donald Sloan, PG 38 MIN | 4-14 FG | 4-4 FT | 3 REB | 7 AST | 1 STL | 0 BLK | 2 TO | 14 PTS | -5Poor shooting and got into foul trouble, but when you are the third-string point guard, that’s expected. The offense played better when he was in the game, so you have to be happy with his positive influence.
C.J. Miles, SG 22 MIN | 3-13 FG | 2-2 FT | 1 REB | 2 AST | 0 STL | 0 BLK | 3 TO | 10 PTS | -15Didn’t shoot very well and with the current Pacers line up, possessions can’t go to waste.
Lavoy Allen, PF 21 MIN | 3-7 FG | 0-0 FT | 6 REB | 3 AST | 0 STL | 1 BLK | 2 TO | 6 PTS | +4Allen is playing well coming off the bench.
Chris Copeland, SF 34 MIN | 7-16 FG | 1-3 FT | 6 REB | 4 AST | 0 STL | 1 BLK | 4 TO | 21 PTS | +2Copeland hit 6 3-pointers on Saturday night while also showing a willingness to drive to the basket in an effort to get the offense going. Wasn’t perfect, but a strong performance.
Damjan Rudez, SF 11 MIN | 0-2 FG | 0-0 FT | 0 REB | 1 AST | 1 STL | 0 BLK | 0 TO | 0 PTS | -5Avoided a Club Trillion with an assist and a steal, but, man, not much else in 11 minutes of play.
Ian Mahinmi, C 13 MIN | 2-2 FG | 1-1 FT | 1 REB | 0 AST | 0 STL | 0 BLK | 0 TO | 5 PTS | -7A typical Mahinmi performance stats-wise, but the defense played poorly while he was on the court.
Rodney Stuckey, PG 6 MIN | 0-2 FG | 0-0 FT | 0 REB | 0 AST | 1 STL | 0 BLK | 1 TO | 0 PTS | -8Left the game after hurting his ankle again.
Frank VogelCan only do so much with the roster, but you can’t complain about what he’s trying to do. These first few weeks are going to be an experimental period.