Pacers win 2nd straight
By TYLER SMITH
ISL Editor
INDIANAPOLIS — After losing a franchise-record 13-straight games, the Pacers have responded with back-to-back victories over Charlotte and Miami. It was a thrilling win in Charlotte on Thursday night for Rick Carlisle’s 1,000th career win. On Saturday night, it was a dominating performance over the Heat, with the Pacers winning by a final score of 123-99. Indy led wire to wire, and it’s just the third time all season the Pacers have won consecutive games.
The Heat were playing their first game in four days since their Thursday contest was postponed. At times, they looked like a team playing on a back-to-back. The Pacers jumped out to a 36-18 lead after the first quarter, and led by 29 at one point. The home fans were treated to an offensive performance that resembled the last few seasons, as the Pacers connected on 17 3’s and 36 assists on the night.
“That’s something to build on,” said Head Coach Rick Carlisle. “We had a good edge. Anytime you play Miami, you know that you must be ready to compete at all times. They’ve earned that reputation. Our guys understood it. It was good to be back in front of a friendly crowd, and I thought our guys kept them into it.”
Andrew Nembhard put together another monster performance with 29 points, nine assists, and six rebounds. More importantly for the Pacers, the home team got more contributions from some players that are trying to build for their future. Johnny Furphy got the start in this game at the five. He responded with eight early points, and finished with 10 points and seven rebounds. Over his last three games, Furphy has averaged a solid nine points and seven boards.
Micah Potter is another guy to keep your eye on for the rest of season. One major question we continue to ask for this season: Do any of these centers play their way into a future role for this team? Potter has certainly looked the part in his nine-game stint for the blue and gold. On Saturday night, Potter connected on four more 3-pointers, matching the entire Miami Heat team for the game. Potter is 14-for-30 from 3 as a Pacer in those nine games, and is bringing major energy and spacing to the squad. Jay Huff and Isaiah Jackson have both played well at times, and now Micah Potter is getting his chance and thriving.
“We just need to keep reminding ourselves of what we need to do to be successful,” said Carlisle. “And that’s continuing to have an edge.
Fans that are checking Tankathon.com on a daily basis might not love winning the last two games, but it’s good to see the hard work paying off a little bit for this team. You also have to remember the odds are very similar for the bottom four teams in the reverse standings, so winning some games won’t hurt the cause as much as it may seem. Next up: The Pacers will host the Boston Celtics on Monday night in Game # 40 on the season.
