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Have Indiana Pacers Turned Corner?

By Simon Smith

Oct 26, 2016; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner (33) dunks against the Dallas Mavericks at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Indiana defeats Dallas 130-121 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 26, 2016; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner (33) dunks against the Dallas Mavericks at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Indiana defeats Dallas 130-121 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports /
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Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports
Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports /

Finding Their Groove

It may have taken nearly half the season., but the Pacers appear as though they may have turned a new leaf in their development. The have now won five straight games, easily eclipsing their previous best this season of two consecutive wins.

Granted, none of the five teams they faced in this recent streak are even close to becoming a contending team this season.

Having said that, there are definitely some signs for optimism. The Pacers’ offensive returns during this winning streak have been exceptional. Among the noteworthy team stats are the following:

Points Per Game: 118.6 (Ranked 2nd)
Field Goal Percentage: 51.4 (2nd)
Offensive Rating: 119.6 (1st)
Assists Per Game: 25.6 (7th)

Enormous Turnaround

These numbers are quite astounding. Scoring has improved by a whopping 14.7 points per game, taking them from mediocre to the elite level.

Just as impressive is their offensive rating, where they soared from  20th in league for points per 100 possessions all the way to first over this five-game stretch. As was touched upon the previous page, their shooting percentages have also gone through the roof:

Shots Taken Between 10-14 Feet: 51.4 percent (6th)
Shots Taken Between 15-19 Feet: 51.8 percent (2nd)

These areas of the floor are particularly important when you consider that the Pacers’ three-point shooting has barely differed during this hot streak. They were averaging 8.2 three-pointers made per game during the initial 33 games, and 9.2 made during the current winning streak.

Furthermore, Paul George, Myles Turner and Jeff Teague are all very proficient in this midrange area of the court, and are their three leading scorers for the season .

Check out the highlights here of their most recent win against the New York Knicks. This game featured a season high 123 points for the Pacers on Jan. 7.