Myles Turner had a career night as the Indiana Pacers defeated the Dallas Mavericks in an exciting season opener.
Myles Turner put up the best performance of his career as he scored 30 points while grabbing 16 rebounds and swatting four shots in the Indiana Pacers 130-121 win over the Dallas Mavericks.
Turner showed flashes of this potential last season, but he only scored 30+ points once and 20+ six times, so it isn’t as if this was expected. The same could be said for rebounds as he only had seven games with 10 or more rebounds in his rookie campaign.
Turner had the sort of performance that made Paul George’s 25 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 assists an afterthought, despite the fact PG was 4 of 5 from deep and 7 of 14 from the field.
On top of that, the two made sure both Jeff Teague’s 20 points and 8 assists and Monta Ellis’ 19 points and 7 assists went mostly unnoticed.
Turner played with the confidence (and execution) that allowed the Paul George to sit back and let the second-year big man carry the weight according to Mark Montieth of Pacers.com.
"“He’s a confident kid,” George said afterward, wrapped in brown towels after a long session in the cold tub. “One of his biggest attributes is he thinks every shot is going in. He was just itching, I know he was, floating on the perimeter. He was itching to get it.”And George was willing to give it to him – even to the point of breaking loose from the game plan and taking over the offense in the instance of his assist to Turner.“I took it upon myself,” he said. “In past years I would have shied away and gone with whatever Coach was drawing up, but I’ve got the respect of my guys. I asked for the ball, they gave it to me and I tried to make plays.”"
Turner and George — the cornerstones of the franchise — are perfectly in sync at the moment, something Myles attributes George knowing what he’s going through as a 20-year old in the NBA.
"“Paul went through the same thing I did,” Turner said. “He was 20 years old when he came in the league. The fact he knows what I’m going through, it’s easier to talk to me about it because he’s been there.”"
There was certainly some ugly play at times in the first game of the season, but there were plenty of bright spots to look at as the team heads forward.
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?
It was only one game, but the 112.1 offensive rating and 105.46 pace were well above last year’s averages. The 16 turnovers as a team weren’t great, but both Teague and Ellis kept their own under control as they combined for 15 assists and 6 turnovers.
If the Pacers are supposed to be a faster and more offensive team this year, then at least on Wednesday that mission was accomplished.
The offense wasn’t selfish as they kept their eyes open and found the uncontested shooter more often than not according to NBA.com.
It may only be one game, but Indiana played in a way offensively that should worry anyone who stands in their way. All five starters scored in double-digits and looked comfortable with their role within the offense.
Next: The 7 Biggest Questions for the Indiana Pacers
The defense can improve but the Pacers played an entertaining and fun version of basketball in their season opener.