Tuesday, February 4, 2014

Pacers go West for this win

The visiting Pacers defeated the Atlanta Hawks 89-85 Tuesday night. The Pacers are now 38-10 while the Hawks are 25-22.
The Big Plays
The Pacers were in control of this one until it started getting close late in the game. The Hawks had cut the gap to 78-74 when Pacers Coach Frank Vogel called a timeout. The Pacers went to one of their clutch players in David West who delivered with a basket in the low post. Then Paul George had a steal and dunk on the next Hawks possession to put the Pacers back up by eight. The Hawks didn't go away easily and cut the lead to two points in the waning seconds. But Danny Granger hit two free throws to account for the final score.
The Ups
David West had 22 points and 10 rebounds to lift
the Pacers to their first win in Atlanta since 2006.
1) David West seemed to get his game back over the last couple of weeks and they needed him on this night. West responded with 22 points on 10 of 19 shooting and also had 10 rebounds. Another big play in this one was when West hit a 3-pointer to end the half to cut the Hawks lead to one. West is certainly one of the leaders on the team and that's the kind of thing that can't be really measured. But he's still also a skilled and effective basketball player and we shouldn't forget about that either.
2) The Pacers seemed to get back to their defensive ways in Monday night's win over the Magic and it continued Tuesday night. In something you won't see very often, none of the Hawks starters scored in double figures for the game. And that includes a deserving all-star in Paul Millsap who had scored 20 or more points in seven of the Hawks last 10 games. Millsap finished with just seven points in this one on 3 of 11 shooting. In all, the Hawks starters were just 16 of 43 from the floor for 37 percent for the game.
3) Sure, backup center Ian Mahinmi has struggled much of the season, causing the Pacers to sign Andrew Bynum. But even as a lame duck backup center (Bynum probably won't start playing until next week at the earliest), Mahinmi continues to hustle back on defense and give the supreme effort we are used to seeing. He is averaging just three points and three rebounds while shooting just under 42 percent. It's just a shame that effort couldn't have translated into him being a more effective player. Mahinmi is a guy you like rooting for. I've never said that about Bynum, but that will change once he steps onto the court in a Pacers uniform. Hopefully it will stay that way through the rest of the season, too, which as you all know, is no guarantee.
The Downs
1) There was some big concern after Pacers guard Lance Stephenson hit a somewhat remarkable shot, falling backward, throwing it up and having the ball come through the basket. Stephenson took a hard fall on the play and while he's usually slow to get up when he falls to the court, this time it looked more serious. And while he was able to get up hit the free throw, he didn't return after leaving the game with four minutes to go in the third quarter. The downside is the Pacers can't afford to lose Stephenson for any length of time and he didn't play in the fourth quarter because of back soreness. But the good news is it sounded like the injury was not serious and the Pacers don't play again until Friday, so he will have a couple of days to get treatment and rest.
2) The turnover bug returned to the Pacers in this one, too. They had 18 turnovers through the first three quarters, including six by Stephenson and five by George. But they had just one turnover in the fourth quarter, so maybe that's a sign of better things to come there.
Afterthoughts
For whatever the reason, the Pacers have had a tough time winning in Atlanta in recent years, not having won there since Dec. 22, 2006 before Tuesday night. Combine that with their issue of having difficulty winning on the second night of back-to-back games this season, you would think this wouldn't be a good spot for them. But they were good enough to win on this night. These are the kind of games where you're not really looking for style points, just the win, and the Pacers delivered in this one.
Next Up
The Pacers are off until Friday when they host the Portland Trail Blazers in a 7 p.m. game on ESPN. The Pacers lost the first meeting between these two teams 106-102 back on Dec. 2. In that game, the Pacers' Paul George had 43 points, and the Blazers improved to 15-3. The Blazers still continue to be one of the league's top teams with a 34-14 mark heading into their Wednesday night game in New York against the Knicks. The Blazers have been a bit more vulnerable lately, going just 5-5 in their last 10 games, including a 100-90 loss at Washington Monday night. They are still led by power forward LaMarcus Alridge at 24.3 points and 11.6 rebounds per game and point guard Damian Lillard at 20.7 points and 5.7 assists. They've become one of the best 1-2 punches in the league. The Blazers also have Wesley Matthews at 16.7 points, Nicholas Batum at 12.8 points, 6.5 rebounds and 5.5 assists, center Robin Lopez at 10.6 points and 8.2 rebounds and top reserve guard Mo Williams at 9 points and 4.7 assists. This could very well be one of the best games of the season and if you're a Pacers, Blazers or even an NBA fan, it's a game you won't want to miss.

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