David West returns, Pacers beat Magic
By TYLER SMITH
ISL Editor
(Photo by Pacers Sports and Entertainment)
INDIANAPOLIS — It took a lot longer than expected for David West to return to the court. Even though the Pacers held their own in his absence, West will bring an entirely different dynamic to this Pacers team. In his first game action of the season, West contributed 18 points, six rebounds, and four assists to lead the Pacers over the Orlando Magic 98-83 at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.
“I’ve come to expect a lot out of David West,” Coach Frank Vogel said after the game. “He certainly played a great game. He orchestrates a lot on both ends of the court. It was a really solid comeback game for him.”
West was excited to finally play: “The last four or five days is when I really felt like I turned the corner. These guys have been competing hard. That’s one of the reasons I was anxious to get back out there.”
Rodney Stuckey seems to have put his injuries behind him as well. He was able to play 30 minutes tonight and scored a game-high 24 points. “We’ve been waiting for this, for our guys to get healthy,” Stuckey said. “We still have a few more guys to come back. Overall we’re happy with where we’re at.”
The Pacers dominated the boards in this game, out-rebounding Orlando 53-32. They also forced 18 Orlando turnovers. Those two statistics contributed to the Pacers attempting 24 more shots than the Magic in the game.
Lavoy Allen had another solid night, recording a double-double with 10 points and 14 rebounds. He now leads the Pacers in rebounds this season. With West back, and Hibbert close to returning, it will be interesting to see how Coach Vogel spreads out the minutes for the backup 4 and 5 spots. When asked if Allen would remain in the rotation, Vogel responded: “Yes. He’s not going to spend a lot of time on the bench the way he is playing.” David West added: “He’s (Allen) got to play. He’s one of the best rebounders in the NBA.”
C.J. Watson also made his return tonight and scored nine points on 4-of-4 shooting. He also dished out four assists in 18 minutes of game action.
Former Hoosier Victor Oladipo scored 14 points to go along with five rebounds and four assists in the losing effort for Orlando.
After a 1-6 start to the season and David West being several weeks away at that time, things could’ve gotten ugly in a hurry for the Indiana Pacers. Instead, they’ve won six of their last nine games and are getting healthier. The goal was to hang around enough before getting players back on the court. So far, so good.
Follow Tyler on Twitter: @TylerSmith_ISL
