Mahinmi makes case to keep minutes in win

The Pacers defeated the visiting Utah Jazz 94-91 Sunday night. The Pacers are now an NBA best 46-13 while the Jazz are 21-38.  The Pacers are also a league best 29-3 at home.
The Big Plays
One of the key plays in this one came from backup center Ian Mahinmi. Playing some key minutes in the third quarter since center Roy Hibbert was out with foul trouble, Mahinmi grabbed an offensive rebound, made the layup and was fouled. He made the free throw to give the Pacers a 60-58 lead they never relinquished.
The Ups

 Paul George finished with 22 points, six rebounds and four assists.

1) Sure the Pacers signed Andrew Bynum to be their backup center about a month ago, but he has yet to play. Lately, there might not be the urgency there was to get him on the court because current backup center Ian Mahinmi is playing the best he has all season. Mahinmi had nine points, seven rebounds and three blocks in this one including making that key play to give the Pacers the lead for good. I'm not suggesting that Mahinmi is more skilled than even an average version of Bynum. I am suggesting that you do know Mahnimi is always going to give his best effort and now it's nice to see that effort translate into some effective results.
2) The Pacers were down in the third quarter and with Hibbert on the bench, needed some firepower from somebody. So, that led to a lot of shots and makes for David West who finished with 10 points in the quarter and had 25 points on 11 of 17 shooting for the game. While those numbers were better than what he did in Boston Saturday night, they were also important again.
The Downs
It would be nice to get an easy win one of these days on the home court, but it just doesn't seem possible right now. The Pacers found themselves down by 10 points early, and then rallied back and then by eight points early in the third quarter before rallying back. The Jazz have been a little better lately, but they still shouldn't be allowing teams like the Jazz to make games interesting, especially at home.
Afterthoughts
There were no style points in this victory, but at least the Pacers hung on in the end for this win, even though Gordon Hayward's 3-pointer looked good when it left his hand as time expired. It was also the seventh and final game in a stretch where the Pacers played teams with a sub-.500 record, and they finished 6-1 in those games. And finally too, with their fifth win in a row, it's the fourth time this season they had had a win streak of five games or more. They still have one less loss than Miami, so the top seed in the East is still up in the air. So every win, no matter who the opponent, is important.
Next Up
The Pacers play their final home game against Golden State at 7 p.m. Tuesday night before going on a three-game road trip. The Warriors are one of the top teams in the West with a 36-24 mark after losing 104-98 at Toronto Sunday night. The Pacers won at Golden State 102-94 back on Jan. 20. The Warriors are led by guard Stephen Curry at 24.1 points and 8.8 assists, forward David Lee at 18.8 points and 9.7 rebounds, guard Klay Thompson at 17.8 points, Harrison Barnes at 10.1 points and Andre Iguodala at 9.4 points. The Warriors have also been getting key contributions from former Pacers forward/center Jermaine O'Neal, who is averaging 7.6 points and 5.5 rebounds for the season. O'Neal has scored in double figures in three of his last four games and did not play at Toronto due to issues with his passport.