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 Good: Nearly everything. The Indiana Pacers defense wasn’t up to snuff, no, but the offense was so productive and the team came away with a win. The 114 points Indiana put up was a season-high output, so who can complain? (Other than Frank Vogel and Dan Burke, I mean.) Best of all were the starters, who were dominant statistically and scored with insane efficiency: 73 points on 31-for-46 (67%)
Maybe they should start wearing the Flo Jos full time?
The Bad: Just the defense, but some of that can be chalked up to hot 3-point shooting from the Pistons in the first half (7-for-11 from deep). The offensive rebounds allowed (12 overall for Detroit, including 5 in the fourth quarter) were rough to watch though. Indiana usually does a better job. The Pistons have big bodies, but the Pacers bigs need to keep them off the glass better, especially late in a close game.
MVP: George Hill. Just like he is everything he actually plays.
LVP: Null set for the Pacers. D.J. Augustin shot poorly and got abused by George Hill for Detroit.
X Factor: Free-throw shooting. Again. The Pacers made just 10-of-18 shots from the line. They made it closer than necessary.
 | Detroit Pistons | 109 | Final |
Recap | Box Score114Indiana Pacers
 | David West, PF 31 MIN | 7-10 FG | 0-0 FT | 7 REB | 3 AST | 2 STL | 0 BLK | 2 TO | 14 PTS | +6 +/-His best game in awhile. Perhaps playing big minutes with good players gave him a boost. |  |
Roy Hibbert, C 36 MIN | 8-11 FG | 0-0 FT | 12 REB | 3 AST | 0 STL | 3 BLK | 2 TO | 16 PTS | +12 +/-Lots of energy, lots of effectiveness.
Rodney Stuckey, PG 22 MIN | 4-6 FG | 0-0 FT | 1 REB | 5 AST | 0 STL | 0 BLK | 0 TO | 8 PTS | +9 +/-Didn’t play a second in the fourth quarter, which was weird. Didn’t hear anything about an injury, but Damjan Rudez was in his spot down the stretch.
George Hill, PG 26 MIN | 8-12 FG | 3-8 FT | 3 REB | 6 AST | 0 STL | 1 BLK | 1 TO | 20 PTS | +13 +/-Transcendent for this team right now. The entire energy on the court is different when he is out there. Aggressive, focused, professional.
C.J. Miles, SG 27 MIN | 4-7 FG | 3-4 FT | 3 REB | 1 AST | 3 STL | 0 BLK | 2 TO | 15 PTS | +11 +/-Drilling them Js.
Shayne Whittington, PF 7 MIN | 2-3 FG | 2-2 FT | 1 REB | 0 AST | 0 STL | 0 BLK | 1 TO | 6 PTS | -6 +/-He wasn’t good, but given his experience level, you’ll take the mistakes for 6 points in 7 minutes. It was necessary to yank him when Frank did though. But filled in and mopped up a few minutes after Mahinmi went down so Roy could rest.
Luis Scola, PF 17 MIN | 4-8 FG | 1-2 FT | 0 REB | 3 AST | 0 STL | 0 BLK | 2 TO | 9 PTS | -3 +/-Fine.
Damjan Rudez, SF 26 MIN | 2-6 FG | 0-0 FT | 1 REB | 1 AST | 0 STL | 0 BLK | 1 TO | 6 PTS | -2 +/-Hit his Js. Not sure exactly what Frank saw in him to keep him out there so much in the fourth, but he didn’t make any big errors and looked steady with the ball while making decisions.
Solomon Hill, SF 21 MIN | 2-5 FG | 0-0 FT | 4 REB | 3 AST | 0 STL | 0 BLK | 0 TO | 5 PTS | -6 +/-Seems to be losing minutes.
Ian Mahinmi, C 4 MIN | 0-1 FG | 1-2 FT | 2 REB | 0 AST | 0 STL | 0 BLK | 0 TO | 1 PTS | -1 +/-Left with a sprained ankle.
C.J. Watson, PG 22 MIN | 5-8 FG | 0-0 FT | 3 REB | 3 AST | 0 STL | 0 BLK | 0 TO | 14 PTS | -8 +/-Didn’t look as hobbled as he sometimes does on defense. Getting back to the back-up role may suit him dandy.