Pacers in Playoffs: Myles Turner energizes Pacers in win over Hawks to clinch spot in first round

The Pacers took control of their own destiny early and then exploded in the second half to leave no doubt they were ready for a first round series in the NBA Playoffs.

Myles Turner is the longest tenured Pacers player on the current roster, the only player who played in the team’s last playoff win, let alone their last playoff game, in the 2018 playoffs.

So it was only fitting that Turner stepped up in a big way on Sunday afternoon, not only producing big numbers, but setting the tone for the whole team en route to a 157-115 rout of the Hawks. They were not missing this playoff opportunity on Turner’s watch and it showed in the energy he played with from the tip.

So at the end of the day, the Pacers secured the No. 6 seed in the East and will play the Milwaukee Bucks after a wild finish to all of the impactful games in the East. There appeared to be some in-game adjustments among the Cavs, Bucks and Knicks to avoid the 2 seed (and Philly), but the Knicks took the spot with an OT win over the Bulls. So, now the Pacers can renew their early season rivalry with Giannis and the boys. The earliest the Pacers will play Game 1 is Saturday (Apr 20).

Get your game balls ready! Should be fun!

OK, back to how the Pacers earned the spot and the play of Turner.

The Pacers jumped out to an 8-0 lead in the first two minutes of the game and Turner scored six of those eight points, but also had a blocked shot and a sweet tip rebound to get Pascal Siakam running with the ball in transition. That level of energy and, as Rick Carlisle mentioned, physical play put the Hawks, his teammates and everyone in the full Fieldhouse on notice that Turner showed up to do his part to deliver a playoff series for this team.

“"I loved Myles' approach from a physical standpoint and the fact that he had 12 rebounds,” Carlisle said. “That’s the most important thing. I know Myles can score. Let’s not make this about Myles’ scoring, let’s make it about his effort on the boards. Our focus has to be on the physical things that are necessary to win playoff games."

Deal Coach.

But the 31 points were impressive, with two of his three 3-ball makes in the first quarter. But his work inside, with that physical energy, delivered traditional three-point plays that really juiced up the Fieldhouse and no doubt, Coach Carlisle.

My favorite was during the second quarter when the Pacers were putting the finishing touches on a 22-8 run after the Hawks rallied to tie the game at 64. Turner stepped out of his space to grab an Andrew Nembhard miss, literally like a man among boys, kept the ball high, turned and scored the two footer through a foul. Not the type of rebound we usually see Turner go get, but would be a fantastic trend to begin heading into the playoffs.

From there, the Pacers ran the Hawks out of the gym in the third quarter, winning the quarter 39-21 and making the fourth quarter an opportunity for the young fellas on the bench.

The Pacers had a shot at a team (158) and NBA regulation (162) record for points in a game, but the garbage time buckets dried up for a bit and then when Jarace Walker hit a three late to get to 157, Carlisle pulled the plug on the record chase with 40 seconds remaining. Doing good by the basketball gods.

Hopefully that karma kicks in for the playoffs and the Pacers can deliver a similar spirited effort with all hands on deck pushing in the same direction. While Turner was the star of the game for the Pacers, his teammates did plenty to follow his lead, as you would expect for a team posting 157 points.

Tyrese Haliburton couldn’t find the range from three land during his 25 minutes, missing all four of his tries, but he did make 5 of 7 from inside the arc and dished out 13 assists a few of which set up Turner for his early buckets. Hali also had three steals, two of which lead to break away dunks for the point guard who is always looking to dunk. He even tried to add a little windmill on the second one, although looked like me trying to windmill on a nerf hoop as a kid.

Pascal Siakam finished with 28 points and 6 rebounds. Seemed like an awfully quiet 28, but maybe because Turner’s 31 was so loud. Regardless, Siakam’s value remains huge and will only increase with his postseason experience in play.

Nembhard and Aaron Nesmith brough the defensive energy on Trae Young and Dejounte Murray most of the game, although Nesmith had Bogdanovic at times early. Nesmith was bothered by a couple of touch fouls which required more minutes for rookie Ben Sheppard. Shep finished with 7 points and 4 rebounds but I look forward to the day when he is equally aggressive on the offensive end as he is on defense and keeping the ball moving on offense. But his role is set for the playoffs which should deliver some great experience.

Don’t worry, I haven’t forgotten about TJ McConnell. But, honestly, we’re getting used to this type of game, aren’t we?

TJ Macs finished with 17 points and 8 assists in (checks box score) 15 (check box score, again) minutes! Talk about a loud impact. This was like a 11-10-10 Lance Stephenson triple double. McConnel made 3 of 4 threes and the one he missed worked as a lob pass to Jalen Smith to finish before the buzzer at the half.

Good times!

Time to raise the bar on this season’s expectations and see if the Pacers can get past the first round of the playoffs, because you can check off that initial goal of earning an outright spot.

Now what?