Pacers get back on track, defeat Miami
By TYLER SMITH
ISL Editor
(Photo by Pacers Sports and Entertainment)
INDIANAPOLIS — There was a lot of hype surrounding the Indiana Pacers this past week, simply because the undefeated Golden State Warriors were in town. Paul George called it a “must win,” and some reporters called it “one of the biggest regular season games” the Pacers have ever played.
Realistically, playing a conference game against a team with a similar record is a bigger game than a media-hyped contest. Coming into Friday night, the Pacers and Miami Heat were both sitting at 12-8 on the season. The Pacers put together a solid defensive effort, and took care of business defeating the Heat 96-83 at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.
Ian Mahimi had a career night, scoring 18 points and grabbing 12 rebounds. He also helped anchor the Pacers defense, which had really been slumping in the previous three games. “He’s an exceptional defender,” Coach Frank Vogel said about his center. “He’s not ordinary. He’s not good. He’s exceptional. It’s a must to have a guy like Ian to have a good defensive team.”
Vogel continued: “The most important thing is we wanted to get our defense back. It wasn’t perfect, but when you’re not shooting the ball well you’ve got to impact the game in other ways. All of our guys met the challenge in that regard.” The Pacers held the Miami Heat to 35 points in the second half, tying their best defensive half of the season.
Monta Ellis had a monster night for the Pacers as well, contributing 24 points, six assists, six steals, and four rebounds. The Pacers were a plus+23 with Ellis on the floor in this game. “He’s just one of those competitive spirit guys,” Vogel said. “He came out here and said ‘enough is enough’ and willed us to a victory.”
After playing even for most of the game, the Pacers went on a 17-6 run to end the third quarter. They never looked back in the final frame, and defeated the Heat for the ninth consecutive time at home. The last time the Heat beat the Pacers at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in the regular season was back in February of 2012.
These games could be very important for seeding and tie-breaker situations late in the year. The Pacers final two games against the Heat this season will both be in Miami, coming in January and February.
The Pacers improved to 6-0 against Eastern Conference teams on their home floor. If that home dominance continues against the East, the Pacers will put themselves in a good playoff position.
Follow Tyler on Twitter and Periscope: @TylerSmith_ISL
