Turbonis rocks, but Pacers fall in season opener
By TYLER SMITH (@TylerSmith_ISL)
ISL Editor
INDIANAPOLIS — It feels good to write these four beautiful words again- Pacers basketball is back.
After a long summer and a lot of anticipation for the new season, the Indiana Pacers finally returned to action on Wednesday night against the Detroit Pistons. Unfortunately for Indiana, it was Detroit coming out on top by a final score of 119-110.
The Pacers had no answer for the physicality of Andre Drummond (32 points, 23 rebounds), and the bench play of Derrick Rose and Luke Kennard (48 combined points.)
“I thought they were gritter,” said Head Coach Nate McMillan. “They scrapped harder than we did. We weren’t able to contain those guys coming off their bench.”
Starting the season 0-1 is disappointing, but there were some positives. Myles Turner and Domantas Sabonis put up monster numbers, combining for 52 points on 20-of-30 shooting, to go along with 22 rebounds. New point guard Malcolm Brogdon had 22 points and 11 assists in his Pacers debut.
“Some early adversity for us,” said Brogdon. “Our team chemistry will improve rapidly. We’ve just got to play more games.”
Domantas Sabonis agreed: “It’s only the first game. We need a couple more games. Our chemistry is good. We just need a few more games to really feel each other out.”
The Pacers bench was outscored 51-16. The second unit will improve once Victor Oladipo returns and Jeremy Lamb comes off the bench. In the meantime, the Pacers will be looking for much more production from that unit moving forward.
This was just the second loss for the Pacers to start the season in the last nine years. Next up: Three straight games on the road, beginning with Cleveland on Saturday.
“It’s going to take some time,” said Nate McMillan. “These are good players. They have talent. They have to learn to play together.”
While it’s not the start Pacer fans wanted to see, here’s your first of many reminders: It’s a long season.
