Pacers start 2-0 after All-Star break, continue homestand Monday v Nuggets
The Pacers are rising up the standings as players thrive in their roles following a much-needed break. Now, can they contain Nikola Jokic Monday in a back-to-back? Plus, other notes from Indy.
Parked outside of Prime 47, just one block north of Gainbridge Fieldhouse in downtown Indianapolis, is a massive white RV with navy and gray stripes and a giant star. That can only mean one thing.
It’s another tradition unlike any other.
It’s the RV for Jerry Jones, owner of the Dallas Cowboys, and officially marks the start of another NFL Scouting Combine — which has annually been held in Indy since 1987. For how much longer? We shall see.
(Don’t be surprised if you see NFL personnel and media at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. They like the fact that there’s two games this week while they’re in town — some for up to 10 days.)
It was one of my many observations Sunday night after the Pacers cruised to a 129-111 wire-to-wire win over the LA Clippers. They swept the season series. And they also haven’t trailed in the last six quarters, not since they put a 50-point second quarter on the Grizzlies coming out of All-Star break.
They’re a combined +32 in their first two games from break — holding opponents to 112 points per game while scoring 128 ppg. That’s encouraging.
It also helps that Myles Turner is healthy again. We saw exactly how much they missed him in those final games before the league broke for All-Star break. That impact was reiterated when games resumed with No. 33 back in the starting lineup.
He’s scored 17 points in both games, had a double-double in the first one, and helped the Pacers, who’ve won three games in a row, outscore both opponents in paint points.
More than that, he’s a weapon. His skill set fits right in with this group, a stretch 5 on offense that pulls the big away from the basket while he is also shooting a career-high 40% from range. (The Clippers briefly switched James Harden on him.)
Then, defensively, he’s the anchor. He’s vocal. And he’s the last line of defense, but not in ways like he was forced to be in previous seasons as lack of point-of-attack defenders led them to funnel ball-handlers to the paint.
Turner scored all 17 of his points in the first half of Sunday’s win, a game they never trailed and led by as many as 22. Best of all, they handled their business so most starters played four minutes or less ahead of the second night of this back-to-back.
The Pacers are 3-5 this season on the second night, but 1-0 at home.
Monday will be a good one because it’s the best player in the NBA making his annual visit. Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets ((37-20) are third in the Western Conference and they've won nine of their last 10 games. The one loss? Their last game, a 123-100 stomping by the Lakers. Jokic still had a triple-double.