I remember predicting not that long ago that the Indiana Pacers would go something like 7-3 over their next 10 and secure their position in the playoff standings. Of course, they then proceeded to lose their next 6 games and 7 of their next 8 to fall into 10th in the East.
With Paul George’s return still up in the air, the Pacers really needed a win, and they got a big one tonight over the Dallas Mavericks, 104-99.
The pace of the game was way too fast in the first half as the Mavs couldn’t miss, but the Pacers clamped down a little more in the second half and pulled out a close one. The turning point was when George Hill (14, 4 and 5) made back-to-back threes with under 6 minutes to go to break a 89 tie and put the Pacers up by 6. The Mavs would come back to tie it with about 2 minutes to go, before Roy Hibbert sank two big free throws to put the team back up by a deuce. The Pacers lucked out when the Mavs missed an open three on the next possession, and CJ Miles (who led all scorers with 28) then promptly nailed his fifth three-pointer of the night at the other end to effectively seal the deal. He hit a couple more freebies at the end to ensure there would be more miraculous comeback.
Solid effort all round. Hibbert continued his generally good play with 14 and 7, and the team also got 10 apiece from David West and Rodney Stuckey, who both returned after missing games from ailments and injuries.
The win ensures the 32-41 Pacers are not out of the playoff race, but it remains an uphill climb as they remain tied at 9th with Boston, half a game in front of 11th place Charlotte, half a game behind Brooklyn and 1.5 games behind 7th place Miami.
The next four games will be HUGE because they happen to be against the four teams chasing the last two seeds along with them. First up, a tough one against the Nets — who have won 3-straight — in Brooklyn, then an arguably even tougher one against the Celtics the next night in Boston. That’s followed by home games against Charlotte and Miami.
It would be great if the Pacers can get all four, but to have any realistic chance of making the playoffs they’ll need to win at least 3, especially as they finish up the season with games against OKC, Washington and Memphis. No predictions this time.
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