The Big Picture
The Pacers flirted with defeat in this one, needing to hold off the Bobcats late in the game to secure the win and remain undefeated at home with an 11-0 mark. The Pacers used a 16-3 surge in the third quarter to build their lead to seven points, but the Bobcats hung around and were down just three by the end of the quarter. The Bobcats took a 90-89 lead with 5:16 to go and the Pacers took the lead for good at 91-90 with 4:18 to go on a sweet move by Stephenson. But that advantage was in jeopardy in the final minute as the Bobcats' Al Jefferson badly missed a shot that would have tied it, thanks to the defense of center Roy Hibbert. George Hill hit two free throws with 15.1 seconds left to put the Pacers up by four to secure the win.
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| Lance Stephenson had 20 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists to help the Pacers hold off the Bobcats and remain undefeated at home. |
1) With Paul George having an unusual off night, the Pacers needed someone to step up and Lance Stephenson was up to the task. He finished with 20 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists, but it wasn't just a numbers game for him. He shot the ball with confidence and made some excellent passes (with the exception of one sort of crazy over the shoulder thing that nobody was sure about but it didn't lead to a turnover, so OK, I guess) and pushed the ball up the court on offense. Stephenson's best move came on a break late in the fourth quarter. He had the ball and was ahead of the rest of the team and waited on them to catch up. Then he settled down and posted up on Ben Gordon on the baseline, did a quick spin move for the layup and foul. Stephenson hit the free to give the Pacers the lead for good at 92-90.
2) This was a letdown game waiting to happen. After the big win over the Heat Tuesday night, the Pacers had a couple of days off and on this night they played like a team that had just come off a long five-game road trip, as opposed to playing like that in their first game back home Tuesday. But here's the good part: The Pacers were not into this game mentally or emotionally (at least not collectively) and they still found a way to win. That's yet another sign of a good team. No, you don't want to have a lot of nights like this, but they do happen in the course of an 82-game schedule. But when those nights come and you can still win, that bodes well for a team trying earn the best record in the East and possibly the NBA to have home court throughout the playoffs.
3) Pacers reserve forward Rasual Butler had played only 12 minutes in the first 22 games this season, but played 23 minutes Friday night. And he responded by giving them eight points in the first half. Along with C.J. Watson and Luis Scola, it gave the Pacers a third legitimate scorer off the bench, something they have not consistently had all season. And it's also good to see Coach Frank Vogel give a guy who spent the entire season in the D-League last year, and worked his way onto the team this year a shot to play some. It's a good message to send that if you work hard and improve your game, there will be minutes for you.
The Downs
1) The first half defense was anything but good. The Bobcats came in shooting 41 percent on the season and averaging just 90.5 points per game. But they shot 50 percent and scored 55 points in the first half and hit their first seven shots of the second half. Maybe it was a bit of hangover from the road trip and the game against Miami Tuesday, but if you want to have the best record in the East and in the league, you can't let teams like the Bobcats, improved as they may be, make the game interesting on your homecourt.
2) It's not often that the Pacers are outworked in a game, but that was the case tonight. The Bobcats are trying to create a winning atmosphere there and they are making steps in the right direction. The Pacers stepped up the effort at enough key times to win, but it wasn't the consistent type of play that Pacers fans have been accustomed to seeing this year.
3) OK, I give Paul George plenty of credit when he plays well (which has been a lot this year), but he was off in this one. He went 2 for 12 from the field, including 1 for 6 from 3-point range. Everyone kept waiting for him to get going, but it never happened. And while his 43 points in Portland last week were exciting, the Pacers lost that game. He was anything but exciting in this one, but the Pacers won. That's not a bad trade off in the end.
Afterthoughts
This was not the type of game the Pacers will want to talk a lot about, but it was a good reminder about how they are viewed these days. What it means is when you have the best record in the NBA you are no longer under the radar and other teams will bring their best effort to try and knock you off. So, it was a good lesson in that you can't let down against these average teams trying to make the playoffs, like the Bobcats are. But let's admit, it's nice lesson to learn, yet still win the game, too.
Next Up
The Pacers have the weekend off before hosting the Detroit Pistons on Monday night. The Pistons have shown some signs of life and won four straight games to start the month. But they had lost three straight before winning at home against Brooklyn Friday night and have an 11-13 record. The Pacers get a bit of break here schedule-wise as the Pistons will be playing their third game in four nights. They host Portland on Sunday night. The Pistons have a balanced attack led by Brandon Jennings at 17.5 points, Rodney Stuckey at 15 per game, Greg Monroe at over 14, Josh Smith at just under 14 and Andre Drummond at 13. Drummond is also among the top rebounders in the league at over 12 per game.
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