Friday, December 20, 2013

Pacers have a blast against the Rockets

The Pacers defeated the visiting Houston Rockets 114-81 to improve to 21-5 on the season. The Rockets fell to 17-10.
The Big Picture
The Pacers returned to the form they have played with for much of the season in this win as it was all about defense. The Pacers outscored the Rockets 31-20 in the third quarter and put the game away with a 21-6 run in the middle part of the quarter that was capped by a Paul George 3-pointer and then break away dunk to put the Pacers up by 26 points.
The Ups
1) Point guard George Hill had without question been in a slump for the last few games. But he returned to form on both the offensive and defensive ends and was big a key in this win. Hill hit 5 of 8 shots, made some nice passes, especially including a nice set up to David West in the third quarter, and finished with five assists.  It's the kind of confident play that the Pacers will need from him if they want to earn the best record in the East.
Danny Granger played for the Pacers for the first time
this season and had five points on 1 of 7 shooting.
2) Even if Danny Granger didn't do a lot in this game, it was good news for the Pacers that he was back on the court and active, even coming from behind and blocking a Dwight Howard shot in the first half. It's going to take Granger a while to get his shot and offensive rhythm back, but you've got to start somewhere. If Granger can stay healthy now after playing just five games last season and needing a second knee operation, and if he can return to somewhere close to the player he was two seasons ago, and if he can easily accept a role off the bench, then it's like picking up a very good player in a trade without having to make a trade. Yes, that's a lot of ifs, and it's hard to say what the biggest one is. But there's no doubt that a good Granger could make the Pacers' bench one of the best in the league.
3) Paul George didn't have his greatest game offensively, but he's got the number of the Rockets' James Harden on defense. George held Harden, who is averaging over 24 points per game, to 25 percent shooting in their two meetings last year. Then held Harden, who in his defense is playing on a sore ankle, to 3 for 14 shooting Friday night. And maybe it was no coincidence that George's offense was good too in this game, finishing with 24 points on 7 of 16 of shooting.
4) The extra pass turned out to be a big thing in this game. The Pacers had 29 assists on 43 made baskets. The good shooting and good passing go hand in hand. And then, too, that allows the defense to get set up in good position, regardless of whether the shot is made. It all works together and the Pacers had it all working on this night.
The Downs
1) There's not much to not like in this game, and yes, this is certainly nit-picking about the team's assist leader. In the first half Lance Stephenson had the ball at the top of the 3-point circle and Luis Scola broke free and was wide open under the basket. Stephenson chose to shoot the 3-pointer and he did make it. But it still wasn't the right play. You can bet the coaching staff will point that out to Stephenson on the film. Stephenson continued his string of good games Friday night with 16 points, six rebounds and six assists, but if a guy's wide open under the basket you have to make that pass. Overall, you still have to like Stephenson's game and he definitely deserves to start even if Granger can return to something close to his old form. But with his ability to pass the ball, it's hard to believe Stephenson didn't see Scola open there.
Afterthoughts
This was the kind of Pacers team fans have become accustomed to seeing for the first 20 or so games of the season, before it started allowing over 98 points a game in December. That was partly due to the schedule and the quality of teams they were playing, but it was also partly due to losing a some focus on defense. The Rockets came in averaging 107 points a game and were held 26 under their average. And this kind of win was especially nice to see after the disappointing loss at Miami Wednesday night. The Pacers finished what looks to be their toughest 10-game stretch of the season with a 6-4 record. It would have been nice to get that second Miami game, but it's certainly not a disaster considering the stretch included games at the Clippers, Trail Blazers, Spurs, Thunder and Heat.
Next Up
The Pacers host the Celtics in a 6 p.m. game Sunday night. The Celtics have been a bit of surprise this year and coach Brad Stevens,  the former Butler coach, is certainly one of the reasons for that. Boston has a 12-15 record and is not contending for the worst record in the league as many suspected it might before the season. The Celtics are led by Jeff Green at 16.4 points, Jared Sullinger at 14 points and seven rebounds, Jordan Crawford at just under 14 points and 5.5 assists and Avery Bradley at 13.5 points.

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