The Pacers are rested and should be ready to come off the All-Star break with W's glistening in their eyes.
Here are some numbers Bruno analyzed to assess the trade after 13 games. There's no doubt the team's play has improved and the numbers show how.
Offense: They've averaged 100.5 points, .444 shooting overall, .372 from the arc and 15.8 turnovers in the last 13; prior to the trade their averages were 96.9 points, .435, .352 and 16.7.
Defense: Though they've allowed slightly higher scoring average (97.2 compared to 96.6), they've forced more turnovers (18.2 to 16.1) and the opponent percentages (.450 to .452 overall, .376 to .377 from the arc) have gone down slightly.
Rebounding: They've outrebounded opponents by 3.1 per game since the trade; their previous advantage was just 0.1.
Points in the paint: They've outscored opponents by 6.0 per game, compared to an average deficit of 2.8.
Second-chance points: They've outscored opponents by 1.5 per game, compared to an average deficit of 0.6.
Fast-break points: They've averaged 12.7 per game and outscored opponents by a 1.5 average; before, they averaged 12.0 per game and were outscored by 0.9.
Turnover points: They've averaged 20.5 per game while allowing 16.2, a gain of 4.3 points per game; before, they averaged 18.4 while allowing 19.3, a deficit of 0.9.
There aren't a lot of glaring differences in there but all of the numbers are moving in the right direction. We'll see if the Pacers can keep moving in the right direction tonight.
Look for an open game thread prior to tip tonight where you can log your reaction to the action here.