Indiana Pacers Weekly: Global Games Equal Tough Losses
By Shane Young
Majority of last week for the Indiana Pacers involved visiting the Philippines and Taepai to interact with the NBA’s fans overseas. The Pacers, accompanied by Larry Bird and Jalen Rose on this trip, are one of the most dedicated franchises when it comes to making time for the community and their fans. After having most of the week to tour and have their fun, it was back to basketball on Thursday, Oct. 10. Following that, Indiana would play their third preseason game on Saturday, Oct. 12.
It wasn’t an easy trip to say the least, as both games were played against a Western Conference powerhouse, the Houston Rockets.
Oct. 10 vs. Houston Rockets – Loss (116-96)
The Philippines witnessed its first-ever NBA preseason game, one that featured the hottest free agent from this past summer in Dwight Howard. Pacers coach Frank Vogel decided to stick with his starting lineup from last year’s regular season while bringing in Danny Granger off the bench to play significant minutes. The lineup included George Hill, Paul George, Lance Stephenson, David West and Roy Hibbert, with George playing the highest amount of minutes (29).
All in all, the biggest standouts in this game were the performances from Paul George and sixth man, Luis Scola. George scored 17 points and collected five rebounds. A huge positive that seems apparent thus far in his game is that George knows he is the star, or go-to guy. Watching him operate, he is already looking for his shot more than he was last year and attacked the paint with confidence. Shooting 7-for-13 from the field and 2-for-4 from the perimeter, his scoring numbers should jump up significantly again this season due to an increase in attempts.
Scola looked impressive in the paint for the most part, going 4-for-6 on good shot selection near the rim and scoring 10 points. David West, the starter, was also better than 50 percent on the night and scored 14 points. Granger once again struggled off the bench and made only two of his 10 shot attempts. On the plus side, he was looking aggressive in attacking the rim and getting to the foul line. Getting the free ones will be crucial for this team down the stretch of the regular season and playoffs.
Oct. 13 vs. Houston Rockets – Loss (107-98)
For those in the Eastern time zone in the United States, this game was a late-night thriller. Starting at 1:30 a.m. ET and it being the homecoming for Rockets’ point guard Jeremy Lin (Lin’s parents emigrated from Taiwan to the U.S.), there was a lot of excitement in this one.
Houston led 55-40 at halftime, which must have sparked a feeling for Frank Vogel to energize his team and focus on making a comeback. The Pacers put together a 34-point third quarter and cut the lead to 81-74 heading into the fourth quarter. The standout performances of the night, in my eyes, were from Paul George (once again) and surprisingly, Danny Granger. Yes, he didn’t shoot 2-for-10 this time.
This duo looked impressive and efficient in Saturday’s win. Photo Credit: Michael Dunlap, HoopsHabit.com
George led the Pacers with 17 points and shot really well from the field again, going 7-for-14 on the night in a failed comeback attempt. Granger managed to score 15 points this time around, but showed his versatility with nine rebounds as he battled Terrence Jones near the rim most of the night. Granger played a team-high 30 minutes and also had two blocks. Out of all three preseason games thus far, this is the only one that Granger has looked fresh and near 100 percent from a health standpoint.
New addition C.J. Watson also looked productive off the bench, getting the right looks and going 4-for-5 from the field for 14 points. During the regular season, we will see Watson backing up George Hill and needing to be that extra shooter off the bench to go along with the deadly Chris Copeland.
Aside from the Pacers’ moral victories here, the defense just couldn’t seem to stop James Harden and Jeremy Lin. Without Dwight Howard being much of a factor in this game, Lin and Harden combined for 38 points and shot 6-for-10 from the 3-point line as the starting backcourt duo. If we are seeing signs that the second-best defensive team in the league (Indiana) is having trouble slowing down this Houston offense, it may be a year to remember for this special squad Kevin McHale has on his hands.
Injury Update
Pacers starting point guard George Hill (NBA.com photo)
Pacers’ point guard George Hill suffered a mild ankle sprain in the third quarter of Saturday night’s battle with Houston after contributing 17 points for his team and getting to the free throw line eight times. Hill is listed as day-to-day and his status is uncertain for the next preseason game on Wednesday.
Next Up
The Pacers will return home to Indianapolis and practice at Banker Life Fieldhouse on Tuesday. The next three preseason games for Indiana are certainly not ones they should overlook, as the team is in search of their first victory.
-Wednesday vs. Dallas Mavericks (7:00 p.m. ET)
-Friday at Chicago Bulls (8 p.m. ET)
-Saturday at Cleveland Cavaliers (7:30 p.m. ET)
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