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The Indiana Pacers open the NBA regular season next Tuesday when they host the Orlando Magic and based on their effort to close out the Hawks in Atlanta last night, it appears they will show up ready to roll on opening night.
A couple of stars were bright (David West 24 points, Paul George 17 points) but the overall depth of the team is what really lit up the Pacers effort in Atlanta. The bench scored 50 points with Luis Scola exploding in the fourth quarter to finish with 20 points. Lance Stephenson didn't score a lot but he influenced the solid play throughout the final three quarters, handling lead-dog duties with the second unit and finishing with eight assists and nary a turnover. These are nice developments, indeed.
Of course, Frank Vogel succinctly recapped the action with his post-game comments.
"Our bench really stepped up and took control of the game. David West was also sensational throughout the night. I was really pleased with Lance Stephenson facilitating the ball with eight assists and no turnovers. I don't really have words for what Luis Scola did out there tonight. Some guys have stuff you can't teach and Luis has that feel for the game and exhibited that in the fourth quarter. We were a little out of rhythm in the first quarter, but we stayed with it." - Frank Vogel
Check out the links:
Preseason Game Rewind: Pacers 107, Hawks 89 | THE OFFICIAL SITE OF THE INDIANA PACERS
Pacers vs Hawks final score: Indiana downs Atlanta 107-89 - Peachtree Hoops
Pacers, David West again too much for Hawks | www.ajc.com
Pacers beat Hawks in preseason - AP
‘Elite’ Pacers Ready To Rumble " Hang Time Blog with Sekou Smith | NBA.com
Pacers Guard George Hill Teams with Kids Against Hunger | THE OFFICIAL SITE OF THE INDIANA PACERS
New bench may be Pacers last piece to title puzzle - Yahoo Sports
NBA scores: Pistons edge Wizards with balanced scoring effort, Pacers crush Hawks - SBNation.com
GMs around the league high on Cody Zeller in annual NBA survey - Rufus on Fire
Eye on Basketball Podcast: Eastern Conference over/under odds - CBSSports.com