First Thoughts: Pacers 99, Bobcats 74
By CHRIS GOFF
ISL Assistant Editor
First thoughts after the Indiana Pacers shook off the Charlotte Bobcats 99-74 on Wednesday night at Time Warner Cable Arena:
IN A NUTSHELL: Lance Stephenson posted another double-double (15 points, 10 rebounds), while Roy Hibbert added 14 points and 10 rebounds, but it was a bench effort that featured C.J. Watson (team-high 18 points on 6-of-7 shooting from beyond the arc, plus-13 in plus/minus) and Luis Scola (eight points, seven rebounds, plus-13) that helped the Pacers race away in the second half. Paul George had 15 points for Indiana, but he and Stephenson combined for 3-of-10 shooting in the middle quarters. The Pacers looked awful on offense most of the way and led just 43-38 at halftime. A big run in the fourth quarter eventually stretched the lead as high as 27. The Pacers limited Charlotte to 31.3 percent shooting (26-of-83 overall). The Bobcats were paced by 16 points and nine boards from Al Jefferson, while Kemba Walker (15 points, five rebounds) and Gerald Henderson (10 points) joined him in double figures for Charlotte. Indiana native Cody Zeller finished with seven points on 2-of-7 shooting over 19:08 in his first game against his home-state team. Zeller had six rebounds but committed five fouls.
KEY SEQUENCE: In a two-possession game less than one minute into the fourth quarter, the Pacers finally pulled away on a 19-8 burst to carry a 17-point lead into the final 6:43. Indiana soon pushed its lead as high as 20 with 5:20 remaining. Over that span, the Pacers outscored the Bobcats 24-10 with Watson pumping in 12 points and Stephenson adding five (Watson played all but the final 2:27 of the final frame). Indiana was 8-of-10 shooting during the run, while the Bobcats were 4-of-10.
BEST OF THE REST: Bobcats reserve center Brendan Haywood missed the game. … The teams combined for 109 missed shots, 16 missed free throws, 30 turnovers, 50 fouls, a technical foul, two goaltends, two delays of game and one rarely seen duel lane violation in an ugly, uneven contest.
WHAT WE LEARNED: Indiana (14-1) has now won five in a row to extend the best start to a season in franchise history. While the Bobcats offered little skill, it’s still a somewhat telling victory after Charlotte put up some resistance and Indiana saw its offense turn to muck. As usual, the Pacers got varied contributions, with multiple players picking up the slack as George and Stephenson struggled. The Pacers wrap up November by hosting the Washington Wizards on Black Friday.
