The Indiana Pacers didn’t win pretty, but they still ended their homestand with a win against the New Orleans Pelicans.
Sure, Paul George missed most of the second half, but Indiana shouldn’t have had so much trouble against an injury-plagued roster our new writer Ryan Eggers described as “an equal amount of suits and jerseys”.
The bright side of the game, however, was Myles Turner going off for 24 points and 16 rebounds, one of the best performances in his rookie season.
The rookie led all players in rebounds and points, but it was also a bounce back game for C.J. Miles who scored 19 points on 7 of 14 shooting, including 3 of 8 from beyond the arc. PG was the only other Pacer with double-digit points as he had 15 before he left the game. George Hill led Indiana with 8 assists but had 5 turnovers.
Data curated by PointAfter
While the excitement Myles Turner brought was a nice boost in the arm of sagging spirits, sitting here almost 24 hours later it is hard to feel too good about the night as a whole. It was a win, but it doesn’t erase the flaws. The Pacers are the 5th worst team in the NBA in terms of field goal percentage in the month of March, 9th worse in effective field goal percentage, and just getting by with a positive net rating of 0.9.
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?
Indiana’s pace has slowed this month which wouldn’t be such a bad thing if their defense hadn’t gotten worse along with its their offense. It isn’t a stretch to say the Pacers are headed in the wrong direction as the postseason approaches. Indiana has a favorable schedule to end the regular season, but unless they start to play like the team we saw go 11-2 in November, there is a little reason to get excited about a playoff run.
It is worth pointing out the team has been in a state of flux since training camp as they’ve adjusted to injuries of their best rookie, then to two key role players, then to said rookie blossoming into a starter, as well as the introduction of a talented but troubled point guard. It is Paul George’s first full season back as well, but none of these are good enough excuses to explain why the team is sliding backward as the season wears on. Being a work in progress would explain inconsistency, but the Pacers have essentially been on a slow to mediocrity for 3 months now.
Next: Myles Turner Turns 20, Sparks Pacers Down the Home Stretch
We’ll get out next chance to see how the Pacers are shaping up on Saturday when they face the Brooklyn Nets at 6 p.m.