Pacers by the numbers
By TYLER SMITH (@TylerSmith_ISL)
ISL Editor
INDIANAPOLIS — Eighteen up, and eighteen down after 36 games. The Indiana Pacers have fought back to the .500 mark after a disappointing 10-15 start to the season. The eye test and the results have both looked a whole lot better of late. So what’s been working for the Pacers? And what are the most important things that need to happen for Indy to be successful? Let’s take a look.
First and foremost, this team goes as Haliburton goes. It’s been an up and down year for the Pacers star, but it’s no secret that his recent success has led to more team success. Check out the numbers:
This season, the Pacers are 11-2 when Haliburton scores 20+ points. That’s not the case for several other players (10-9 when Siakam gets 20+, and 5-6 when Mathurin gets 20+). The Pacers are also 11-3 when Haliburton dishes out 10+ assists. The Pacers don’t necessarily need Haliburton to lead the team in scoring every night, as they are 6-4 this season when he’s the leading scorer on a given night. This team DOES, however, need Haliburton to put up big numbers. Someone else can lead the team in scoring, but Haliburton still needs to have a high total for this team to be successful. That 20/10 range is right where they need him to be on a nightly basis.
Secondly, this is a different team when Andrew Nembhard is on the court. The Pacers really missed their third-year guard when he missed nearly a month with an injury. Since he has returned to the court, the Pacers are 11-5, and they’re 15-10 overall. He gives the Pacers an additional ball-handler and perimeter defender that they desperately need.
Additionally, the Pacers need to share the basketball at a high level, and get off to good starts in games to be successful this year. This team made 30+ assists nights the norm last season. While it hasn’t been as frequent this year, they’ve started to crank their passing game up a notch in recent weeks. The Pacers are 13-2 this season when dishing out 30 or more assists in a game. On the flip side, they are just 3-11 so far this season when trailing at Halftime. When the ball is popping early and often, the Pacers are in much better shape.
Things have also improved on the defensive end, which has always been a key indicator for this team. In nine of the last 12 games, the Pacers have held opponents to 115 or fewer points. If they can continue to play even average defense the rest of the way, the win column will continue to rise.
Here are a few other key stats for the Pacers to find success this season:
•The Pacers are 7-0 this season when Myles Turner scores 20+ points.
•The Pacers are 14-5 this season when turning the ball over 12 or fewer times.
•The Pacers are 9-1 when two players record a double-double.
This team has been on the road a lot so far this season. Even though they are 7-1 in their last eight road games, the Pacers will benefit from a more home-heavy schedule in the coming days. The overall schedule is also pretty favorable for this team over the next few weeks. This may be their opportunity to get above .500 and start to make their move as the Trade Deadline approaches next month.
