Reserves answer the call in Milwaukee

The visiting Pacers defeated the Milwaukee Bucks 104-102 Wednesday night. The Pacers improved to 54-25 while the Bucks fell to 14-64 to almost guarantee them the worst record in the league. The Pacers are now also one half game ahead of the Miami Heat for the best record in the East.

Forethoughts

Whether they would have won or lost Wednesday, I loved the fact that Pacers coach Frank Vogel gave the starters a night off for a lot of reasons. First, there was the simple matter of coming into Milwaukee and feeling the pressure of having to win against the league's worst team if the starters had played. Instead, the bench players would have the chance to seize an opportunity knowing they would be playing significant minutes. Second, sure the coach talked about the physical fatigue the starters may have, but lets not forget about the mental fatigue as well. Just not having to think about playing allowed them to let their guard down a little and is a good mental break for the team. And yes lastly, it gave the bench players a chance to get some confidence and also allowed Vogel to see how those players responded to certain situations. Because, there will likely be a playoff game where at some point one of those players, whether it be Evan Turner, Luis Scola or C.J. Watson will need to play a key role.

The Big Plays

Luis Scola had 24 points and nine rebounds
in Wednesday's win over the Bucks.

Well this one was easy as Chris Copeland capped an almost perfect shooting night for him by hitting the winning shot with 1.2 seconds left. And it was just as good to see the reaction of the regulars afterwards.

The Ups
1) We understand that one of the reasons the Bucks have the worst record in the league is that they are one of the worst defensive teams in the league. But the Pacers shot 48 percent from the field for the game, including hitting 11 of 24 from 3-point range. It was nice to see some decent offense for once.

2) The Pacers brought in Chris Copeland during the offseason to provide some offense and he certainly did that Wednesday night, hitting 7 of 8 from the field, including four of five from 3-point land to finish with 18 points. It was good to see somebody shoot the ball with confidence, like he knew the shot was going in as soon as it left his hand, as compared to standing there and hoping it would go in.

3) For the Pacers to win this game they needed good games from Evan Turner and Luis Scola, the two most skilled players on the bench (not including the injured Andrew Bynum) and they did deliver. Turner finished with 23 points, nine assists and seven rebounds and is also beginning to look more comfortable from behind the 3-point line as he hit three of four in this game. Then there is Scola, who finished with 24 points and nine rebounds and had his usual good energy throughout the game.

4) And lastly here, Donald Sloan may have had eight points and eight assists, but the best number for the point guard came in the turnover category with a zero.
The Downs

1) One player who didn't excel with the extra minutes was Rasual Butler, who hit just 3 of 14 shots from the field, including just 2 of 10 from 3-point range. But remember, too, that Butler's contribution to this team is far deeper than what the numbers in the box score show.
Next Up

The Pacers travel to Miami to play the Heat in a 7:30 p.m. game that will likely decide who gets the No. 1 spot in the Eastern Conference race. The Heat are 53-25 after losing at Memphis Wednesday night. The Pacers and Heat each have won at home, with the Pacers having a 2-1 series lead this season. Whoever wins this game will likely be the top seed in the East. The Heat are of course led by LeBron James at 27 points, 6.9 rebounds and 6.4 assists. They also have Dwyane Wade at 19.2 points, Chris Bosh at 16.2 points and 6.7 rebounds and Mario Chalmers at 9.8 points and 4.9 assists and Ray Allen at 9.6 points. The Heat have had their struggles recently, too, going 1-3 in their last four games.