Paul George never got going against San Antonio (gannett-cdn.com)
Pacers Mid-Week Meeting: Inconsistency SHows Through
Ross Weber; @rweberI65
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The Pacers are looking at a tough schedule soon, so it would be nice to end this month on a high note
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Game Notes
Game 24: Indiana 107, Dallas 81
The Pacers balance in this game was great: no one scored more than 20 and four guys scored in double figures. The team shot 48% from the field and held Dallas to 36.7% from the field. The Pacers also outscored the Mavs 62-34 in the second half, absolutely one if Indiana’s better performances on the season.
Game 25: Indiana 104, Brooklyn 97
In a game that Paul George registered his seventh double-double of the season and got to the free throw line eight times, he still earned himself another fine from the league office for criticizing the officiating. As a whole, this wasn’t a great game from the Pacers, so it was nice to see them get a win without having their A game.
Game 26: Memphis 96, Indiana 84
The second night of a back to back and again the Pacers just didn’t have their legs under them. It is becoming a bad trend that Indiana can’t get going on the back half of back to backs, and something that is a hard thing to get a hold of without intentionally giving players rest.
Game 27: San Antonio 106, Indiana 92
The Pacers played well for most of the first three quarters despite Paul George never getting going from the field. How the Pacers ended the third quarter was the turning point, Indiana was only down by four points with two minutes to go and ended up being down by nine headed into the fourth. All in all not a bad performance, but one that definitely showed the Pacers have a way to go to be one of the elite teams in the association.
Week in Review:
The Pacers showed their inconsistency in this week maybe more than any other this season. It’s one that raises some questions about just how good Indiana is, and we may not know until after January.
Who’s Hot (besides Paul George)? Who’s Not?
Hot: Rodney Stuckey
Stuckey had a good week: 13.5 points, 3.5 assists, 4.0 rebounds, 1.75 turnovers, shooting 47.5% from the field, 4/9 from three, 12/16 from the free throw line. He has shown he is the best bench scoring option the Pacers have, and if he keeps playing this way he could mess around and put himself in the sixth man of the year conversation.
Not: C.J. Miles
After scoring 20 points against Dallas to start the week he struggled from the field (4/12) against Brooklyn, posted a goose egg against Memphis and went 1/5 from three against San Antonio. After it looked like he was the Pacers’ clear #2 scoring option, he has shown that he is more like the old, inconsistent C.J. Miles than one half of the East Coast Splash Brothers.
Stat of the Week:
The Pacers this season have a record of 4-7 against teams from the Western conference, and 2-6 against West teams that are currently in the top 8 in the conference. Which means that Indiana is 12-4 against the East this season, which is a good and a bad thing when looking into it. It means that the Pacers are doing a good job taking games away from teams they are battling for playoff position, but also begs the question just how good the Pacers are compared to the rest of the league.
One Thing I Think:
The Pacers have been very up and down this season with three different stretches of 0-3, 12-2, and 4-6 basketball with many different positives and negatives. The inconsistency has been frustrating but is something that can be straightened out by the time February comes around. The Pacers January schedule is filled with road games, 9 of the 15 to be exact, so January will be a real test of just how good Indiana is.
This Week’s Schedule:
Wednesday, December 23rd: vs Sacramento Kings (11-17)
Saturday, December 26th: @ Minnesota Timberwolves (11-17)
Monday, December 28th: vs Atlanta Hawks (18-12)
A couple of winnable games for the Pacers and one big game against the Hawks in the battle for Eastern conference playoff position, this is certainly one exciting holiday week. Indiana will also be wearing their Hickory jerseys against the Sacramento Kings.
Game 24: Indiana 107, Dallas 81
The Pacers balance in this game was great: no one scored more than 20 and four guys scored in double figures. The team shot 48% from the field and held Dallas to 36.7% from the field. The Pacers also outscored the Mavs 62-34 in the second half, absolutely one if Indiana’s better performances on the season.
Game 25: Indiana 104, Brooklyn 97
In a game that Paul George registered his seventh double-double of the season and got to the free throw line eight times, he still earned himself another fine from the league office for criticizing the officiating. As a whole, this wasn’t a great game from the Pacers, so it was nice to see them get a win without having their A game.
Game 26: Memphis 96, Indiana 84
The second night of a back to back and again the Pacers just didn’t have their legs under them. It is becoming a bad trend that Indiana can’t get going on the back half of back to backs, and something that is a hard thing to get a hold of without intentionally giving players rest.
Game 27: San Antonio 106, Indiana 92
The Pacers played well for most of the first three quarters despite Paul George never getting going from the field. How the Pacers ended the third quarter was the turning point, Indiana was only down by four points with two minutes to go and ended up being down by nine headed into the fourth. All in all not a bad performance, but one that definitely showed the Pacers have a way to go to be one of the elite teams in the association.
Week in Review:
The Pacers showed their inconsistency in this week maybe more than any other this season. It’s one that raises some questions about just how good Indiana is, and we may not know until after January.
Who’s Hot (besides Paul George)? Who’s Not?
Hot: Rodney Stuckey
Stuckey had a good week: 13.5 points, 3.5 assists, 4.0 rebounds, 1.75 turnovers, shooting 47.5% from the field, 4/9 from three, 12/16 from the free throw line. He has shown he is the best bench scoring option the Pacers have, and if he keeps playing this way he could mess around and put himself in the sixth man of the year conversation.
Not: C.J. Miles
After scoring 20 points against Dallas to start the week he struggled from the field (4/12) against Brooklyn, posted a goose egg against Memphis and went 1/5 from three against San Antonio. After it looked like he was the Pacers’ clear #2 scoring option, he has shown that he is more like the old, inconsistent C.J. Miles than one half of the East Coast Splash Brothers.
Stat of the Week:
The Pacers this season have a record of 4-7 against teams from the Western conference, and 2-6 against West teams that are currently in the top 8 in the conference. Which means that Indiana is 12-4 against the East this season, which is a good and a bad thing when looking into it. It means that the Pacers are doing a good job taking games away from teams they are battling for playoff position, but also begs the question just how good the Pacers are compared to the rest of the league.
One Thing I Think:
The Pacers have been very up and down this season with three different stretches of 0-3, 12-2, and 4-6 basketball with many different positives and negatives. The inconsistency has been frustrating but is something that can be straightened out by the time February comes around. The Pacers January schedule is filled with road games, 9 of the 15 to be exact, so January will be a real test of just how good Indiana is.
This Week’s Schedule:
Wednesday, December 23rd: vs Sacramento Kings (11-17)
Saturday, December 26th: @ Minnesota Timberwolves (11-17)
Monday, December 28th: vs Atlanta Hawks (18-12)
A couple of winnable games for the Pacers and one big game against the Hawks in the battle for Eastern conference playoff position, this is certainly one exciting holiday week. Indiana will also be wearing their Hickory jerseys against the Sacramento Kings.
