They had a built-in excuse for having dead legs, for having a letdown, for having the proverbial "one of those nights" and succumbing to the circus attraction that is the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Pacers, after all, didn't reach their respective homes until about 3 a.m. following Monday's game in New Orleans, and some didn't go to bed until 4 a.m. Most of them hadn't bothered to unpack from their week-long road trip before heading back to Bankers Life Fieldhouse for their fifth tipoff in seven days on Tuesday.
They had one of those nights all right. Just not in the way logic dictated.
Gorging on stout defense, crisp ball movement, and blazing perimeter shooting, the Pacers set milestones in a 136-94 victory that defied all reasonable expectations. Their 19 3-pointers tied the franchise record set at Washington in November of 2015. Their 42-point margin made for the most one-sided loss in LeBron James' career, was the largest by 15 points for a Pacers team over the Lakers and was the largest in any Pacers game since a 140-89 win over Chicago in March of 2003.
It also was their third consecutive victory, and shoved the four-game losing streak that followed Victor Oladipo's season-ending injury further into the past.
Where did it all come from, all that energy and focus?
Hard to say. Since the 2009-10 season, the Pacers have had five games such as Tuesday's when they played a home game the night after closing down a road trip of at least three games — the kind of scheduling quirk the NBA tries to avoid at all costs. And they've won them all. The most recent one came two years ago when they immediately followed a five-game Western trip with a home game against Portland. They trailed by 20 points in that one before Paul George scored 15 consecutive points late in the fourth quarter and finished with 37 to lead a seven-point victory.
So maybe it's a good thing not to have time to unpack, unwind, and relax for a day or two before resuming play after an extended road trip. Even in this trying circumstances the player got in a full night's sleep and lunch before arriving at The Fieldhouse for a 4 p.m. walkthrough. But this Victor-less Pacers team doesn't have a singular star player who can grab a game by the scruff of its neck and drag it across the finish line as George did two seasons ago. It requires balance and teamwork, qualities that were in abundance against the Lakers.
"It came from us banding together and making the right plays," Myles Turner said. "When you play basketball the right way it shows. We just fed off each other's energy."
The box score contained a dozen story lines. Turner had four blocked shots, providing the centerpiece to an overall superlative defensive effort that nearly overshadowed his 22 points and 3-of-3 shooting on 3-pointers. Thaddeus Young was two assists shy of a triple-double, which he didn't care about either way, in just 24-plus minutes. Bojan Bogdanovic scored the Pacers' first 10 points on a layup, bank shot off an inbounds play, and two 3-pointers following turnovers to personally force a Lakers timeout barely three minutes into the game.
The primary takeaway for some of the fans, though, might have been the nearly identical production of rookie Aaron Holiday and virtual rookie Edmond Sumner off the bench. Holiday had 17 points on 7-of-10 shooting, including 3-of-4 3-pointers, and not a single turnover. Sumner, looking increasingly comfortable after being yanked from the G League and tossed into the NBA fire a week ago, had 17 points on 7-of-9 shooting. He also hit 3-of-4 3-pointers and didn't commit a turnover.
Photo Credit: Walt Thomas
One could go on and on about the individual performances, but this one was about the team collaboration that was more reminiscent of the 11-game stretch Oladipo missed in November and December.
"Some nights you have it like that," coach Nate McMillan said. "I can't really explain that. We did talk about the mental approach to this game and not using the back-to-back as an excuse. We knew this was going to be a challenge."
Young thought the embarrassing memory of the loss to the Lakers in Los Angeles on Nov. 29, when the Pacers took themselves out of contention in the first quarter, provided motivation for Tuesday's game. Other players didn't necessarily think so.
Some players thought the circus atmosphere the Lakers brought to the game, with James leading a team riddled with rumors of a major trade and former Pacer Lance Stephenson making his first return trip to The Fieldhouse, helped prevent a letdown.
Others thought there was no particular explanation. Just one of those (very good) nights that happens from time to time.
"I don't know if there's an answer for it, really," TJ Leaf said. "We just tried not to think about it, really."
One thing seems clear. The Pacers are growing accustomed to playing without Oladipo again. With Tyreke Evans returning to the starting lineup after missing three games with a sore lower back and coming off the bench for the next two, they were able to put more logical and experienced units together, and develop some chemistry.
"No more excuses," said Cory Joseph, who had hit just 8-of-35 shots over the previous five games but hit 3-of-4 3-pointers in this one. "We can't sit back and feel sorry for ourselves with Vic out. We don't have time to make excuses. This is one of those games we came together.
"We didn't overthink anything."
The Pacers have four more home games before the All-Star break, and another one following the break. It's an opportunity to build on their winning streak and re-establish themselves as a contender for a top-four seed in the Eastern Conference playoff race. Tuesday's victory was explosive, impressive and illogical, but it was just one. And the Pacers seemed to view it that way.
"We've had a couple good games," Turner said. "It's still going to take some time to establish how we need to play. We've just got to keep going.
"We can't look too much into it. We came out tonight and handled business."
There was some added satisfaction, though. The Fieldhouse audience of 17,265 was spotted with purple and gold Lakers gear throughout, typical for all road games in which James plays. Those particular fans didn't have much to cheer, though.
"I love seeing the look on Lakers' fans faces when we're winning like that," Turner said.
Have a question for Mark? Want it to be on Pacers.com? Email him at askmontieth@gmail.com and you could be featured in his next mailbag.
Mark Montieth's book on the formation and groundbreaking seasons of the Pacers, "Reborn: The Pacers and the Return of Pro Basketball to Indianapolis," is available in bookstores throughout Indiana and on Amazon.com.
Note: The contents of this page have not been reviewed or endorsed by the Indiana Pacers. All opinions expressed by Mark Montieth are solely his own and do not reflect the opinions of the Indiana Pacers, their partners, or sponsors.