Pacers make it happen behind small ball in Detroit

The Indiana Pacers managed their first win of the season in four tries last night in Detroit, and small ball was the star this time led by Rodney Stuckey.

First off, Andre Drummond is a monster – 25 points, 29 (!) rebounds last night. Unreal. However, even that kind of performance wasn’t enough to beat a determined Pacers team last night at the Palace.

Rodney Stuckey led the Pacers in scoring with 23 points on 9-14 shooting, but there were five Pacers in double figures as they continue their reign over Detroit carrying over from the preseason.

The Good
Steals were the name of the game last night, and Indiana excelled with 15 total. The ‘small ball’ defense swarmed Detroit and forced them into giving the ball away far too often, which the Pacers capitalized on scoring 30 points off those turnovers.

Paul George and C.J. Miles doubled up responsibility in separating from Ersan Ilyasova at the PF spot, but for the first time in four games the smaller line-up truly excelled.

As far as the rookies go, Joseph Young did not feature but Myles Turner impressed once again. The Texan came in and, though his contributions were small, still made an impact with six points and four rebounds on 3-4 shooting.

The Bad
Indiana needs to learn how to contain bigs. Drummond is a monster, so to expect Lavoy Allen, Myles Turner, and Ian Mahinmi (who left the game early) to handle a guy like him is asking too much. The Pistons nearly doubled up on points in the paint again, but with Drummond working his game that was expected.

Additionally, though the guards did a pretty decent job managing Reggie Jackson last night, he still managed to put up 20 points forcing a few buckets to go his way. All-in-all not a problem, but if it becomes a theme then Indy will have to change things up.

Next: Boiler basketball: Big year ahead?

Game Notes

• Indiana’s 15 steals were the 2nd most of any team this season
• The Pacers (and Monta Ellis) stepped up their shooting to 43% – not perfect, but a start
• Free throws: Pacers were 11-12, Pistons were 11-17 – they’re free, and Indy took advantage

The Pacers return to the floor tonight at home against the Boston Celtics, tipoff scheduled for 7 pm ET.