Game Recap
Eastern Conference foes, beware: the Indiana Pacers are starting to get healthy. David West and C.J. Watson returned to the lineup on Friday night and combined for 27 points to lead Indiana (7-9) to a 98-83 victory over the Orlando Magic (6-12).
West, making his regular season debut after missing the first 15 games with a sprained ankle, started at power forward and scored 18 points on 8-of-17 shooting. West also collected six rebounds and four assists.
"I've come to expect a lot from David West...He certainly played a great game, a great floor game" head coach Frank Vogel said. "He orchestrates a lot of stuff on both ends."
The level-headed West said he felt his performance was "alright," but was glad that his return didn't mess with chemistry of a team playing good basketball without him. Indiana entered Friday having won five of its last eight.
"Guys have been playing and competing at a high level, so I didn't want to come in and not carry my load or bring it forward," West said. "So I'm happy with where things worked out."
Watson, also appearing for the first time in the regular season after being sidelined with a bruised foot, hit all four of his shots and finished with nine points and four assists in 18:14 off the bench.
"It felt great just getting back out there with the guys, just playing basketball," Watson said. "And getting a win was even bigger."
The Pacers never trailed in the second half, leading by as many as 18. The Pacers dominated the boards all night, collecting nine offensive rebounds in the first quarter. Indiana outrebounded Orlando 53-32 overall and 17-2 on the offensive glass.
Lavoy Allen led the way with 14 rebounds, six of them offensive. Allen also scored 10 points to record his second double-double of the season.
"These guys have been doing a great job attacking the glass and really keeping teams honest," West said. "We've got one of the best rebounders in the NBA in Lavoy. He's a legitimate threat on that glass. You've got account for him."
Rodney Stuckey led all scorers with 24 points, including 11 in the fourth quarter. Stuckey made 9-of-15 shots and went 6-for-6 from the free throw line.
Nikola Vucevic led Orlando with 16 points and seven rebounds. Tobias Harris and Victor Oladipo each added 14 points for the visitors.
Inside the Numbers
The Pacers forced 18 turnovers leading to 20 points, both season highs. Conversely, Indiana only had 12 giveaways, the second-fewest in a game this season. Orlando's nine points off turnovers were a season low for a Pacers opponent.
Indiana shot 44 percent from the field, but were just 4-for-16 from 3-point range (0-for-7 in the first half). Before Friday, the Pacers had made 23-of-47 attempts from beyond the arc in its last two games.
The Blue-and-Gold also tied a season high with 25 assists. Donald Sloan led the team with six. Watson, West, and Solomon Hill each added four dimes.
Stuckey's 24 points were a season high, eclipsing the 22 he scored in Wednesday's loss at San Antonio. In five games since returning from a left foot injury, Stuckey has averaged 16.6 points.
Solomon Hill added 11 points for the Pacers. Hill has now scored in double figures in four straight games, six of his last seven, and 12 of his last 14.
Quoteworthy
"It was great to see those guys (C.J. Watson and West) out there and playing well. Hopefully we don’t see too much rust going forward." -Vogel
"I’m happy with the way things worked out. I was feeding off these guys. I watched them for the first month or whatever, so I know we’ve got some good guys who can cut off the basketball and guys who can execute. So we’re just going to keep getting better, keep improving as the year goes on." -West
"I’m just playing within our system, being aggressive and shooting when I’m open, just taking whatever the defense gives me. If I’m open I shoot the ball. If I see a lane, I take it to the basket and get fouled. It’s just about reading the defense."
"I'm sure it won't be like that tomorrow." -A smiling C.J. Watson when asked how it feels to lead the NBA in field goal percentage
"Give them credit for both producing turnovers and also being really physical on the boards on their end." -Magic head coach Jacque Vaughn
"They played better defense, that’s the bottom line. They killed us on the boards from the time the game started. We need to stick to our game plan. We need to play defense, play defense then offense." -Magic forward Tobias Harris
Stat of the Game
The Pacers clearly won this game on the glass. Their 17 offensive rebounds were a season-high and they outscored Orlando 18-2 in second chance points. But just as important, they kept the Magic off the offensive boards. Orlando's two offensive rebounds were the second-fewest in an NBA game this season (Golden State had just one offensive rebound in a loss to San Antonio on Nov. 11).
Noteworthy
- The Pacers have now won six of their last seven games against Orlando, including four straight at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.
- Indiana led 94-76 with 2:18 remaining on Friday night, their largest lead of the season.
- Friday's win was the Pacers' first this season on the first night of a back-to-back. THey were 0-4 in such games before beating the Magic.
- Lavoy Allen needed 15 rebounds entering Friday to reach 1,000 for his career. He fell just short of that mark, finishing with 14. When asked about it after the game, Allen quipped, "No one told me that. If someone would have told me, I would have got that last one."
Up Next
The Pacers travel to Cleveland for the first of four straight games on the road. The Pacers and Cavaliers will tip off on Saturday, Nov. 29 at 7:30 p.m. at Quicken Loans Arena.