Insider: Pacers build a wall, earn their first road win of season
OKLAHOMA CITY – Build a wall. That was the primary objective Sunday for the Indiana Pacers in defending Oklahoma City’s Russell Westbrook, one of the most dynamic players in the NBA. The wall, coach Nate McMillan instructed his team, needed to be built around the paint at Chesapeake Energy Arena.
Defend the paint, McMillan said, and the Pacers — the battered and bruised Pacers — would give themselves a chance for a surprising upset.
All five Indiana starters, at various moments, provided resistance when Westbrook drove to the basket. Jeff Teague and Monta Ellis stripped the ball away from Westbrook. Glenn Robinson III, in his first start this season, forced Westbrook into tough layups in transition. Myles Turner blocked Westbrook’s layup in overtime and sprained his right ankle in the process. Thaddeus Young boxed out multiple Thunder players to collect the precious defensive rebounds.
All those stops were enough to earn the Pacers a 115-111 overtime victory, their first road win of the season.
“I thought Jeff did a nice job of just trying to stay in front of (Westbrook),” McMillan said. “If you give Westbrook a crack, he takes advantage of it. He takes 34 attempts and he only shoots five free throws. There was a wall and we were making him shoot over the top and we weren’t fouling him. That’s about as good as you can do against a guy like that.”
The Pacers’ defense made Westbrook inefficient as he finished with a game-high 31 points, 15 assists and 11 rebounds. What pleased many Pacers was how they scored more points in the paint (50) than the Thunder (44). They also outrebounded the Thunder, 51-49.
What made this Pacers performance even more remarkable was how it was produced without Paul George, C.J. Miles and Kevin Seraphin. The Pacers were, for the first time this season on the road, a cohesive unit, a group of teammates who trusted each other, encouraged one another and fought for every loose ball.
“We executed, we believed in the system and we believed everything that coach was throwing at us,” Young said. “We paid attention to detail and we knew exactly what we needed to do to win. With those guys being out, it’s a big blow and nobody is going to feel sorry for us. It’s huge for us to come in their house and get a win.”
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Teague was stellar in leading the Pacers with a team-high 30 points and nine assists. He also made all nine of his free throws, many late in the fourth quarter and overtime. Turner and Young combined to score 35 points and collect 20 rebounds.
Yet the most admirable individual performance came from Robinson, the seldom-used third-year player. In 45 minutes, Robinson produced a season-high 16 points and a team-high 11 rebounds.
“He played amazing and he played out of his mind,” Turner said of Robinson. “I knew he was capable of this all season long. I was a little frustrated he didn’t get a chance to show it at first. When he got in, he wasn’t being as aggressive. Now, he’s attacking and he’s playing great defense.”
Three plays illustrated the Pacers’ grit.
In the third quarter, Ellis sprinted to intercept a pass on defense near the baseline before he fell out of bounds. He collided with a woman in the first row and her Miller Lite beer spilled on Ellis. Although Ellis wasn’t able to find a teammate to pass the ball to in order for the Pacers to keep possession, his teammates praised him for his hustle.
In overtime, Robinson battled with Westbrook for a loose ball and sustained a bruise just above his left eye. As his eye socket swelled up, Robinson continued to play well and was instrumental in limiting Westbrook to just four points in overtime.
“He jumped and I hit my head on the ground because his knee hit the back of my head,” Robinson said of Westbrook. He added: “It’s always great playing against some of the best players. I thought I had a couple big stops on him, one on the drive in transition and then the one-on-one isolation. That’s something that you dream about as a kid is having to step up and make those big plays.”
Turner screamed and hobbled after he sprained his right ankle, yet he refused to let McMillan take him out of the game. He continued to be an intimidating figure in the paint for Westbrook.
“I wasn’t coming out of that game, man,” said Turner, who had an X-ray after the game that showed no structural damage. “It was our first road win and I knew we didn’t have a lot of guys to go out there and play. That’s just the way I’m wired. I’ll stick it out until the end.”
Before the game, McMillan said the Pacers would be without George and Miles at least through Monday’s home game against the Golden State Warriors. The team’s training staff examined George’s left ankle and Miles’ left knee Saturday with MRI and X-ray tests. McMillan said those scans for both players were negative.
“The results were what we thought, which is a good thing,” McMillan said. “We’ll look at those guys as far as when they will play again, if they will play the next game (against the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday).”
When George and Miles return to the lineup, though, remains unclear. Seraphin, who missed his first game of the season Sunday with a sore left knee, is listed as day-to-day. McMillan said he could play against the Warriors.
Without the trio, the Pacers (7-7) built a 15-point lead in the third quarter with exquisite ball movement, tough defense and aggressive rebounding. The Thunder (8-6), behind a raucous home crowd, began their comeback late in the third quarter.
The Pacers needed just one final stop with 4.6 seconds left in the fourth quarter to protect their three-point lead. Westbrook responded by coming off a screen to free himself from Teague. He received the in-bounds pass and swished a 27-foot 3-pointer with 2.4 seconds left to force overtime.
The Pacers, however, remained resilient in the final five minutes by making enough timely baskets. Teague and Robinson each made both of their two shots in overtime to secure the victory.
George and Seraphin watched Sunday’s game on the bench. They cheered their teammates, applauded them for their valiant performance and congratulated them for their most impressive win of the young season.
Inside the Pacers’ locker room, Turner and Robinson sat next to one another. Turner’s right ankle was in a bucket of ice water. Robinson could barely see out his left eye. Neither Turner nor Robinson were upset about their injuries from Sunday’s game.
“If that’s what it takes to get a win,” Robinson said, “it feels really good.”
Call IndyStar reporter Nate Taylor at (317) 444-6484. Follow him on Twitter: @ByNateTaylor.
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Warriors at Pacers, 7 p.m. Monday, Fox Sports Indiana
GOLDEN STATE at INDIANA
Tipoff: 7 p.m. today, Bankers Life Fieldhouse
TV: Fox Sports Indiana
Radio: WFNI-AM (1070), -FM (93.5).
Warriors (11-2)
Projected starters
Pos;Player;PPG;Key stat
PG; Stephen Curry; 26.4 ppg; 6.0 apg
SG; Klay Thompson; 20.0 ppg; 3.1 rpg
SF; Kevin Durant; 27.9 ppg; 8.0 rpg
PF; Draymond Green; 10.8 ppg; 9.1 rpg
C; Zaza Pachulia; 4.5 ppg; 6.2 rpg
6th; David West; 4.3 ppg; 2.5 rpg
Pacers (6-7)*
Projected starters
Pos;Player;PPG;Key stat
PG; Jeff Teague; 14.9 ppg; 6.5 apg
SG; Monta Ellis; 10.5 ppg; 4.5 apg
SF; Glenn Robinson III; 3.9 ppg; 1.7 rpg
PF; Thaddeus Young; 10.5 ppg; 5.8 rpg
C; Myles Turner; 15.0 ppg; 7.0 rpg
6th; Al Jefferson; 6.6 ppg; 4.3 rpg
* – Pacers’ record and statistics entering Sunday
Storylines
THE WARRIORS ENJOY INDY: The Warriors had an off day Sunday after they defeated the Milwaukee Bucks on the road Saturday. Durant and Green, two of the Warriors’ All-Stars, spent Sunday enjoying the Indianapolis Colts’ win over the Tennessee Titans. Durant and Green were able to take a photo with retired Peyton Manning during halftime of Sunday’s game.
SERAPHIN DAY-TO-DAY: Kevin Seraphin could be in the Pacers’ lineup for Monday’s game after he missed Sunday’s game with a sore left knee. Before his injury in Friday’s game, Seraphin was a productive reserve off the bench in the last three games. It appears Seraphin could return to the court before Paul George (sore left ankle) and C.J. Miles (sore left knee).
A TELLING QUOTE: “This is a huge boost to our confidence. We got to play the best team in the West tomorrow, so we have to carry this momentum and carry it into our building. Hopefully we’ll come out with the W.” – Myles Turner on the Pacers facing the potent Warriors on Monday after beating the Thunder on Sunday.
PREDICTION: Golden State enters Monday’s game on a seven-game winning streak. The Pacers, even with a full and healthy roster, would have trouble containing the Warriors. The Pacers’ injuries will make Monday’s game almost impossible to win. Warriors, 121, Pacers 104.
– Nate Taylor