PACERS

Insider: Pacers share the ball to hold off Pistons

Nate Taylor
IndyStar
Indiana Pacers forward Paul George (13) was defended by Detroit Pistons forward Marcus Morris (13) at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.

The uneasiness was building, the groans from the sellout crowd were starting to get louder and the Pacers started rushing on offense as the clock ticked toward crunch time. It was hard not to blame the fans inside Bankers Life Fieldhouse for wondering if the Pacers, once holders of a comfortable lead, were going to let another game slip away.

Paul George noticed how tense the crowd became. Coach Frank Vogel grew furious and called a timeout with six minutes left. The Pacers’ lead was dwindling from eight … to six … to four.

Yet, this time, the Pacers adjusted their play and executed with precision in the final minutes to secure a 112-104 victory Saturday over the Detroit Pistons. The biggest reason for their success was a simple one: They moved the ball.

Just one possession in the final four minutes resulted in the Pacers relying on an isolation play – and that was because George, for a second, lost the ball near the baseline. The Pacers’ next three baskets were an encouraging sign, as they hope to execute better in late-game situations.

Monta Ellis used a pick to free himself for a midrange jumper. The next play, which was the Pacers’ best, came when rookie Myles Turner set a hard screen to free up a driving George, who was called to take the shot if he were open. But with the Pistons rotating on defense, George made a hard bounce pass to Jordan Hill, who was open for a one-handed dunk.

“For one, it’s room on the perimeter to allow myself to get to the basket,” George said of playing in the big, traditional lineup. “Nine times out of 10, the big man, that’s his job to protect the paint. It makes the game easier to have someone to dump the ball off once that big steps up. When we were playing the smaller style, it seemed like it was kind of crowded on the perimeter and you couldn’t make the plays because guys are switching and it seemed more difficult. I’m happy we’re growing in this scenario.”

There were other highlights, too – Turner finding Ellis for a running layup and the turnaround jumper from George Hill just before the shot clock expired – that ensured the Pacers (27-24) would not relinquish their lead to the Pistons.

What impressed George Hill were the assists the Pacers recorded in the final minutes, which showed their willingness to trust one another.

“We’ve been talking about that for a while now,” he said. “As much as we can move the ball from side to side and get everyone involved, the better off we’re going to be. We’re a pretty stagnant team when the ball stays in one hand and we try to create for ourself instead of others. I think the last four minutes, when we move that ball, we get wide open shots.”

George, for the second consecutive night, led the Pacers with 30 points and eight rebounds. He was also efficient on offense, shooting 7-of-13 and making 14 free throws.

In the final five minutes, the Pacers’ best defense was fouling Detroit's Andre Drummond, who missed free throw after free throw. Drummond was so bad that one free throw landed on the side of the backboard, almost a foot to the right of the rim.

Saturday’s victory was what Vogel envisioned two weeks ago. It took longer than Vogel wanted – nine days to be exact since the premiere – for his new starting lineup to play just its second game together. The Pacers outrebounded the Pistons 42-38 behind the starting frontcourt of Ian Mahinmi and Turner, who finished with 16 points.

“We’ve been an elite rebounding team with our big lineups all year and it’s going to get even stronger,” Vogel said before the game. “We’re going to be a dominant rebounding team down the stretch.”

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The Pistons (27-25), more than any other team this season, saw the Pacers’ spread lineup and philosophy three times. They lost two of those games and did not play well against a bigger, more intimidating frontline inside Bankers Life Fieldhouse.

Even before Saturday’s game, Detroit coach Stan Van Gundy was impressed with quick transition and potential of the Pacers’ new starting lineup.

“They’ve played very well like that,” Van Gundy said. “When they first went to it, they didn’t even have Myles. He was hurt. I think they’re a very good offensive team and they’ve got such great size now inside that it’s back like it was here before. It’s really tough to score inside.”

The Pacers received a boost on defense with the return of Mahinmi, who missed the previous four games with a sore lower back. Before the game, Vogel said the reason Mahinmi did not play in Friday’s loss to the Atlanta Hawks was to give him more time to rest so that he would not have to play through the final back-to-back on the schedule before the All-Star break.

“He’s gotten better a little bit each day,” Vogel said of Mahinmi. “I’m pretty happy he’s back for this game.”

Vogel shared that feeling not only because all four of his frontcourt players were available, but also because Mahinmi, his best interior defender, was ready to provide resistance against Drummond. In the three previous games this season, Drummond averaged 14.6 points and 19.3 rebounds against the Pacers.

The defensive effort of Mahimni, along with Jordan Hill, was a large reason why Drummond was held to just 10 points and 13 rebounds Saturday.

“Smash mouth is about rebounding first,” Mahinmi said of the team’s defensive mentality. “When you limit the opposite team to one shot, you give yourself first a good chance to run and you also give yourself a good chance to win games.”

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Without Mahinmi, the Pacers have found it difficult to defend their opponents. In the last six games that Mahinmi missed, Indiana surrendered at least 100 points, which resulted in four losses.

Saturday’s game reflected more of what Mahimni’s presence in the paint has meant this season, as the Pacers had a defensive rating of 98.1 per 100 possessions with their starting center on the court entering Saturday's game.

“I’m sure there’s other factors, but he is that significant,” Vogel’s said of Mahimni’s impact on the team. “I think in today’s NBA, he’s one of the best defensive centers in the league because he has the shot blocking and the rim protection and he’s got the mobility and the IQ to cover ground in pick-and-pop game with all these bigs shooting 3s and long twos. He also has the great ability to guard one-on-one in the post. He’s a great leverage defender.”

A sellout crowd watched the Pacers sprint out to a 24-10 lead behind a balance attack that showcased all five starters. Indiana expanded its lead and built a 20-point cushion midway through the third quarter.

When the fourth quarter started, fans were frustrated that the Pistons had cut their deficit to just six points. But unlike other nights this season, the fans left Bankers Life Fieldhouse on Saturday happy with a close win because the Pacers shared the ball to hold off the Pistons.

“It feels great to actually execute,” Turner said of the Pacers' play in the final minutes. “I think that was us saying we’re going to win this game by any means. We just made the plays necessary to do so.”

Call Star reporter Nate Taylor at (317) 444-6484. Follow him on Twitter: @ByNateTaylor.

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