Indiana Pacers: 2 studs, 1 dud from gutsy win over the Sacramento Kings

The Indiana Pacers are reaping the benefits of Myles Turner’s career-year

Finishing a game-high +22, Myles Turner continued his two-way growth this season for the Indiana Pacers, anchoring the team’s defense to make the game as ugly as it could be for the Kings’ normally radioactive scoring attack while being as efficient as he can be in his streamlined, yet more defined role on offense.

The biggest knack on Turner before was that his shot blocking prowess was oftentimes negated by his below-average rebounding. However, that has not been the case this season, particularly in this contest, with Myles corralling a season-high 15 rebounds. Overall, he’s been averaging 8.5 boards per outing in the current campaign, far from his previous individual best of 7.3 per game way back in his sophomore year.

Turner’s presence inside limited Sacramento to 42 points in the paint, in contrast to their average of 49 per game so far this season. The Kings’ playmakers simply had a hard time connecting with their rim runners in pick-and-rolls. Even when they were able to read the defense, Myles had no problem going up to contest their speedy guards:

On offense, Turner remained rock-solid from three, cashing in on two of his five tries. On the season, he’s now shooting a career-high 41.1 percent from downtown. As long as Myles provides consistent two-way production, as he has been in the last five games, the Indiana Pacers should be slated for more wins this season to improve their standing in the East.